WIMIELMINE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 


FROM    AN    ORIGINAL    PORTRAIT    AT    BERUN. 


MEMOIRS  OF  WILHELMINE 


MARGRAVINE   OF  BAIREUTH 


TRANSLATED  AND  EDITED  BY 


HER  ROYAL  HIGHNESS  PRINCESS  CHRISTIAN 

OF    SCHLESWIG    HOI.STEIN 
PRINCESS   OF   GREAT   BRITAIN    AND   IRELAND 


WITH    PORTRAIT 


NEW    YORK 

HARPER  &  BROTHERS,  FRANKLIN  SQUARE 
1  888 

85653 


INTRODUCTION. 


IN  publishing  this  translation  of  these  curious  me- 
moirs, it  will  perhaps  not  be  out  of  place  to  give  some 
slight  account  of  the  personages  who  play  so  prominent 
a  part  in  them.  The  Margravine  Frederica  Sophie  Wil- 

^  helmine  of  Brandenburg-Baireuth  was  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Frederick  William  I.  of  Prussia,  and  his  wife 
Sophie  Dorothea  of  Hanover,  daughter  of  George  I.  of 
England.  She  was  born  at  Berlin  on  the  3d  of  July, 
.  1709,  and  was  three  years  older  than  Frederick  the 
Great,  the  brother  to  whom  she  was  so  ardently  devot- 

<5>  ed,  and  over  whom  she  had  so  great  an  influence.  The 
^  love  for  her  brother  was  the  one  bright  spot  in  a  life 
whose  difficulties  and  troubles  have  probably  seldom  be'en 
equalled.  Although  idolizing  Frederick,  and  foresee- 
ing the  greatness  he  would  one  day  attain,  she  was  nev- 
ertheless not  blind  to  his  failings.  How  she  suffered 
with  him  and  through  him  is  most  touchingly  told  in 
the  following  pages.  Even  her  marriage  hardly  lessened 
the  closeness  of  her  intercourse  with  her  brother.  She 
was  the  only  person  to  whom  he  ever  showed  his  real 
nature,  and  whom  he  really  loved.  In  order  properly 
to  understand  this  singular  narrative,  it  is  necessary  to 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

realize  what  the  Berlin  Court  was  at  that  time.  Fred- 
erick L,  grandfather  of  Wilhelmine,  had  been  extrav- 
agant and  splendor-loving  in  the  extreme,  but  on  the 
succession  of  her  father  to  the  throne  all  was  changed. 
This  king  was  possessed  of  considerable  administrative 
ability,  but  at  the  same  time  the  wish  to  make  his  coun- 
try one  of  the  first  military  powers  of  Europe  took  hold 
of  him  to  such  a  degree  that  he  considered  no  sacrifice 
too  great  if  it  promoted  this  object.  "With  a  wise  in- 
stinct Frederick  William  had  discerned  that  all  things 
in  Prussia  must  point  towards  his  army  ;  that  his  army 
was  the  heart  and  pith ;  the  State  being  the  tree,  every 
branch  and  leaf  bound,  after  its  sort,  to  be  nutritious 
and  productive  for  the  army's  behoof.  That  probably 
for  any  nation,  in  the  long-run,  and  certainly  for  the 
Prussian  nation  straightway,  life  or  death  depends  on 
the  army.  Frederick  William's  head,  in  an  inarticulate 
manner,  was  full  of  this  just  notion,  and  all  his  life  was 
spent  in  organizing  it  to  a  practical  fact."  *  To  defray 
the  expenses  of  this  army,  he  exercised  in  the  other  de- 
partments  of  his  Government,  as  well  as  in  his  Court, 
a  strict  economy,  that  seemed  in  the  eyes  of  his  contem- 
poraries to  be  nothing  but  the  most  sordid  avarice. 
Within  two  months  he  had  so  regulated  the  expenses 
of  the  administration  and  his  household  as  to  reduce 
them  to  one-fifth  of  what  they  had  been,  and  by  de- 
grees he  carried  similar  reforms  into  every  department. 
Economy  was  the  order  of  the  day,  and  his  country 

*  Carlylc,  "  History  of  Fre<l<>rirk  th.>  firoat,"  vol.  i.,  pngo  43!),  Am.  Ed. 


INTRODUCTION. 


soon  bore  the  stamp  of  absolute  military  despotism.  It 
was  only  within  the  last  hundred  years  that  Branden- 
burg had  had  any  standing  army  of  its  own,  bnt  by 
1726  Frederick  William's  forces  consisted  of  60,000 
thoroughly  disciplined  soldiers. 

The  king  ruled  his  family  with  the  same  harsh  des- 
potism with  which  he  ruled  his  country,  taking  pleasure 
in  making  his  power  felt  by  all  in  the  most  galling  man- 
ner. The  Margravine  and  her  brother  had  much  to 
suffer,  not  only  from  his  ungovernable  temper,  but  also 
from  the  real  privations  to  which  they  were  subjected. 
Despite  the  almost  cruel  treatment  Wilhelmine  received 
from  her  father,  it  is  noticeable  that  throughout  her 
memoirs  she  speaks  of  him  with  the  greatest  affection. 
She  makes  constant  reference  to  his  "  good  heart,"  and 
that  his  faults  "were  more  those  of  temper  than  of  nat- 
ure." The  food  at  the  king's  table  was  poor  and  scanty, 
his  children's  clothes  were  more  than  simple,  and  we 
are  told  that  the  queen  and  her  daughters  were  obliged 
to  take  part  in  the  domestic  work. 

The  home  was  darkened  by  perpetual  quarrels,  and 
from  her  earliest  childhood  Princess  Wilhelmine  had 
been  surrounded  by  a  net-work  of  intrigues  set  on  foot 
by  the  House  of  Hapsburg  to  prevent  a  possibility  of  a 
closer  alliance  between  Prussia  and  England. 

The  queen,  Wilhelmine's  mother,  had  set  her  heart 
on  a  double  marriage  with  England,  between  Wilhel- 
mine and  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  Frederick  and  Prin- 
cess Amelia.  It  was  her  one  cherished  idea  to  see  her 
daughter  Queen  of  England,  and  for  this  end  she  was 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

ready  to  sacrifice  everything,  even  her  children's  happi- 
ness. The  queen's  remarkable  determination  of  char- 
acter asserted  itself  wherever  the  future  of  her  children 
was  concerned.  After  ten  years'  efforts  it  seemed  as  if 
she  might  hope  for  success ;  the  king  was  not  averse, 
and  the  English  Court  had  consented.  Indeed  the 
treaty  was  signed,  but  owing  to  the  policy  of  the  House 
of  Hapsburg  was  destined  never  to  be  carried  out. 
The  Catholic  Emperor  and  his  advisers  considered  the 
project  would  endanger  the  supremacy  of  Austria.  A 
close  alliance  with  England  would  make  Protestant 
Prussia  so  strong  that  her  predominance  in  Germany 
might  become  doubtful.  His  emissary,  Seckendorf,  was 
despatched  to  the  Prussian  Court,  where  he  sowed  sus- 
picion and  jealousy  in  the  mind  of  the  king,  who,  now 
ever  distrustful,  angry,  and  suspicious,  stood  on  the  one 
side,  the  queen  on  the  other  with  her  two  elder  chil- 
dren. Prince  Frederick  was  driven  to  desperation  and 
unsuccessful  flight. 

In  the  Margravine's  Memoirs  there  is  a  most  graphic 
account  of  this  period  of  misery.  She  did  not  know 
Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  were  at  the  bottom  of  it  all ; 
she  only  suspected  them,  and  her  account  is,  in  conse- 
quence, sometimes  rather  warped.  "  But  after  this  has 
been  pulled  straight,"  to  quote  Carlyle, "  and  some  ex- 
aggeration deducted  from  it" — exaggeration  we  cannot 
wonder  at  when  we  consider  the  vital  interest  of  the 
question  to  her,  and  the  personal  persecutions  to  which 
she  and  her  loved  brother  were  subjected — "you  will 
find  her  always  true,  lucid,  and  charmingly  human,  and 


INTRODUCTION. 


by  far  the  best  authority  on  this  part  of  her  brother's 
history."  * 

The  Hapsburg  policy,  which  was  secretly  moving  the 
Prussian  Councils,  did  not  consider  the  breaking  off  of 
the  English  alliance  sufficient  safeguard  against  the  un- 
due aggrandizement  of  Prussia,  and  a  marriage  with  the 
Margrave  of  Bairetith  was  urged  on  Princess  Wilhel- 
mine  as  a  political  necessity.  The  princess  proved  will- 
ing to  accept  this  unknown  suitor  for  the  good  of  her 
family,  for  the  sake  of  peace,  and,  more  than  all,  to  save 
her  brother  from  further  persecution. 

By  consenting  to  this  marriage,  however,  she  fell  into 
dire  disgrace  with  the  queen,  who  never  forgave  her. 
This  sacrifice  only  tended  to  unite  her  more  closely 
with  her  brother.  His  noble  nature  repaid  her  with  in- 
creased love  and  gratitude. 

After  her  marriage  Wilhelmine  remained  not  only 
bound  by  affection  to  him,  but  by  mutual  intellectual 
interests. 

We  learn  from  Katt,  Frederick  the  Great's  reader,  that 
the  king  considered  he  owed  all  his  taste  for  study,  all 
liis  love  of  work,  and  the  habit  of  never  being  idle,  to 
this  sister. 

She  and  her  brother  were  among  the  first  of  those 
questioning  minds  that  strove  after  spiritual  freedom. 
They  had  studied  the  English  philosophers,  Newton, 
Locke,  and  Shaftesbury,  and  were  roused  to  enthusiasm 


*  Carlyle,  "  History  of  Frederick  tlie  Great,"  vol.  i.,  page  462,  American 
Edition. 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

by  the  writings  of  Voltaire*  and  Rousseau.  Their 
whole  lives  bore  the  impress  of  the  influence  of  French 
thought  on  the  burning  questions  of  the  day.  In  the 
eighteenth  century  began  that  great  struggle  of  philos- 
ophy against  tyranny  and  worn-out  abuses  which  culmi- 
nated in  the  French  Revolution.  The  noblest  minds 
were  engaged  in  the  struggle,  and,  like  most  reformers, 
they  pushed  their  conclusions  to  extremes,  and  too  oft- 
en lost  sight  of  the  need  of  a  due  proportion  in  tilings. 
The  Margravine's  influence  on  the  intellectual  develop- 
ment of  her  country  is  untold.  She  formed  at  Baireuth 
a  centre  of  culture  and  learning  which  had  before  been 
undreamed  of  in  Germany. 

At  Sansouci  Frederick  the  Great  surrounded  himself 
with  thinkers,  and  formed  a  similar  centre  of  cultiva- 
tion. He  allowed  the  utmost  freedom  of  thought  and 
writing  throughout  Prussia,  and  it  is  not  one  of  the 
least  of  his  merits  that,  in  spite  of  his  predilection  for 
everything  French,  he  encouraged  the  most  gifted  of 
German  writers  to  gather  at  his  Court,  where  his  rare 
mental  gifts,  his  sound  good  sense,  and  his  grand  patri- 
otism exercised  the  most  beneficial  influence  on  letters 
and  civilization.  Modern  critics  have  accused  Wilhel- 
mine  of  historical  inaccuracies  in  her  memoirs,  but  af- 
ter making  allowance  for  some  exaggeration  in  her  ac- 
counts and  views  of  people  and  of  circumstances,  they 

*  A  volume  of  the  Margravine's  correspondence  with  Voltaire  has  been 
published  in  German  by  Dr.  George  Horn  in  1865.  These  letters  form  an 
interesting  sequel  to  the  memoirs.  An  English  translation  will,  it  is  hoped, 
be  published  in  a  few  mouths. — Note  by  Translator. 


INTRODUCTION.  1 1 

have  never  dared  to  donbt  the  general  veracity  of  the 
whole  narrative.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  these 
memoirs  were  written  at  a  moment  when  her  heart  was 
bleeding  afresh  under  the  knowledge  of  her  husband's 
intimacy  witli  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz. 

Although  married,  almost  against  her  will,  to  a  man 
she  knew  nothing  of,  the  Margravine  soon  became  ar- 
dently devoted  to  him.  Her  affections  were  as  warmly 
returned,  and  it  is  touching  to  note  how,  in  the  midst  of 
overwhelming  sorrows  and  humiliations,  her  love  for  her 
husband  seemed  to  make  her  forget  them  for  a  while. 

The  greater  part  of  her  married  life  was,  without 
doubt,  happy,  as  far  as  the  relations  to  her  husband 
were  concerned. 

It  is  impossible  to  read  unmoved  her  account  of  all 
she  endured  at  the  hands  of  her  mother  and  of  her  fa- 
ther-in-law. Her  health  was  shattered  in  consequence 
of  incessant  mental  sorrows  and  anxieties.  She  died  at 
a  comparatively  early  age,  and  before  her  brother  had 
achieved  the  greatness  she  had  ever  foretold  for  him. 
Her  end  came  on  the  15th  of  October,  1758,  in  the  same 
night  and  at  the  same  hour  that  her  brother  was  sur- 
prised and  defeated  by  the  Austrians  at  Hochkirch.  Her 
last  words,  her  last  thoughts  were  for  him.  She  had 
expressed  the  wish  that  his  letters  to  her  might  be  laid 
on  her  heart  and  buried  with  her. 

As  to  Frederick,  the  news  of  her  death,  coming,  as  it 
did,  at  a  critical  moment,  fell  upon  him  with  overwhelm- 
ing force.  It  was  a  grief  that  darkened  all  his  life. 
The  sister  he  had  so  adored — gone  !  The  one  heart 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

whom  he  had  loved,  the  friend  on  whose  judgment 
he  had  ever  relied,  taken  from  him  when  he  seemed  to 
have  needed  her  most !  He  made  a  touching  appeal  to 
Voltaire  to  immortalize  her  memory  in  verse;  and  it 
may  not  be  out  of  place  to  quote  his  own  words,  writ- 
ten to  him  on  the  2d  of  March,  1759 :  "  Pour  ce  que  je 
vous  ai  demande,  je  vous  avoue  que  je  1'ai  toujour  tres 
fort  dans  1'esprit ;  soit  prose,  soit  vers  tout  m'est  dgal. 
II  faut  u n  monument  pour  e*terniser  cette  vertu  si  pure, 
si  rare  qui  n'a  pas  e*te  assez  gentM-alement  connue.  Si 
j'etais  persuade  de  bien  ecrire,  je  n'en  chargerais  per- 
sonne,  mais  comme  vous  etes  certainement  le  premier 
de  notre  sciecle  je  ne  puis  m'addresser  qu'a  vous." 

Frederick  himself  erected  in  his  garden  of  Sansouci 
a  temple  dedicated  to  "Friendship," in  memory  of  Wil- 
helmine;  and  writes  in  the  following  terms  to  Voltaire 
about  it:  "Ce  temple  est  placd  dans  un  des  bosquets 
de  mon  jardin.  J'y  vais  sonvent  me  rappeler  mes 
pertes  et  le  bonheur  dont  je  jouissais  autrefois." 

The  Margravine  often  appears  in  the  course  of  her 
narrative  almost  heartless  and  inconsiderate;  yet,  taken 
as  a  whole,  she  stands  out  in  marked  prominence  among 
the  most  gifted  women  of  the  eighteenth  century,  not 
only  by  her  mental  powers,  but  by  her  goodness  of 
heart,  her  self -sacrificing  devotion,  and  true  friendship. 

She  lies  buried  in  the  chapel  of  the  Castle  at  Baireuth. 

HELENA. 
CUMBERLAND  LODOK,  May,  1887. 

It  may  strike  the  reader  as  singular  that  this  volume  is  not  divided  into 
chapters.  The  Translator  has  in  this  matter  strictly  adhered  to  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  original. — II. 


ODE  BY  VOLTAIRE  ON  THE  MARGRAVINE. 

Ombre  illustre,  ombre  chere,  ame  heroi'que  et  pure, 
Toi  que  nies  tristes  yeux  ne  cessent  de  pleurer, 
Quand  la  fatale  loi  de  toute  la  nature 

Te  conduit  dans  la  sepulture, 

Faut-il  te  plaindre  ou  t'admirer  ? 

Les  vertus,  les  talents  ont  ete  ton  partage, 

Tu  v6cus,  tu  mourns  en  sage ; 

Et,  voyant  a  pas  lents  avancer  le  trepas, 

Tu  montras  le  m6me  courage, 

Qui  fait  voler  ton  frere  au  milieu  des  combats. 

Femnie  sans  prejuges,  sans  vice  et  sans  mollcsse 
Tu  bannis  loin  de  toi  la  superstition, 
Fille  de  1'imposture  et  de  1'ambition, 
Qui  tyrannise  la  faiblesse. 

Les  langueurs,  les  tourments,  ministres  de  la  mort, 
T'avaient  declare  la  guerre ; 
Tu  les  bravas  sans  effort, 
Tu  plaignis  ceux  de  la  terre. 

Helas  !  si  tes  conseils  avaient  pu  1'emporter 

Sur  le  faux  interet  d'une  aveugle  vengeance, 

Que  de  torrents  de  sang  on  cut  vus  s'arrfiter ! 

Quel  bonheur,  t'aurait  du  la  France. 

Ton  cher  frere  aujourd'hui,  dans  un  noble  repos, 
Recueillerait  son  ame,  a  soi-mome  rendue ; 

Le  philosophe,  le  h6ros, 
Ne  serait  afflige  que  de  t'avoir  perdue. 


14  ODE    BY    VOLTAIRE    ON    THE    MA11GRAVINE. 

Sur  ta  ccndre  adoree,  il  jcttcrait  dcs  flcurs 
Du  haut  de  son  char  de  victoire ; 
Et  les  mains  de  la  paix,  et  les  mains  de  la  gloire 
Se  joindraicnt  pour  secher  ses  pleurs. 

Sa  voix  cclebrerait  ton  ainitie  fidele, 

Les  Echos  de  Berlin  repondraient  a  ses  cliants ; 

Ah  !  j'iinpose  silence  a  mes  tristes  accents, 

II  n'appartient  qu'a  lui  de  te  rendre  immortelle. 

December,  1758. 


MEMOIRS 


OF  THE 


MARGRAVINE  OF  BAIREUTH. 


AFTER  the  death  of  my  grandmother,  Sophie  Charlotte  of 
Hanover,  Queen  of  Prussia,  King  Frederick  I.,  my  grandfather, 
became  extremely  desirous  that  his  only  son,  the  crown  prince, 
should  marry.  To  further  this  object  he  sent  Count  Finken- 
stein  (afterwards  Field -marshal)  to  Stockholm  to  negotiate  a 
marriage  between  the  crown  prince  and  Princess  Ulrica  of 
Sweden,  sister  of  Charles  XII.  The  crown  prince,  however, 
who  had  seen  and  fallen  in  love  with  his  first  cousin,  the 
Princess  of  Hanover,  was  able  to  induce  Count  Finkenstein  to 
give  a  very  unfavorable  description  and  report  of  the  Princess 
of  Sweden,  and  to  add,  too,  that  her  health  was  so  indifferent 
that  it  was  very  unlikely  she  would  ever  have  any  children. 
Now,  as  the  king's  greatest  wish  was  to  live  to  see  grandchil- 
dren born  to  him,  he  gave  up  the  idea  of  the  marriage  with 
the  Princess  of  Sweden,  and  gave  his  consent  to  the  union  of 
his  son  with  the  Princess  of  Hanover,  daughter  of  the  Elector 
George,  afterwards  King  of  England.  The  marriage,  which 
took  place  at  the  end  of  the  year  1706,  gave  my  grandfather 
an  opportunity  of  showing  his  love  of  pomp  and  splendor.  I 
have  been  told  that  more  brilliant  fetes  had  never  been  wit- 
nessed than  those  given  on  that  occasion.  It  was  very  gratify- 


16  MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

ing  to  the  crown  princess  that  the  king  soon  became  extreme- 
ly fond  of  her,  and  lost  no  opportunity  of  showing  her  his 
affection  and  respect.  But  this  same  friendly  feeling  was  also 
a  source  of  sorrow  and  trouble  to  her,  as  the  crown  prince 
became  violently  jealous  of  his  father,  and  treated  his  wife 
with  great  harshness.  It  was  only  after  the  birth  of  the  eldest 
son  that  peace  was  again  established  between  husband  and 
wife.  My  grandfather  gave  the  new-born  infant  the  title  of 
Prince  of  Orange,  not  because  he  thought  that  title  finer  than 
that  of  Prussia  or  Brandenburg,  but  because  he  hoped  by  that 
means  to  secure  to  him  the  succession  to  the  House  of  Orange, 
to  which  he  had  claims  through  his  mother,  the  Electress  So- 
phie Louise.* 

The  joy  at  the  birth  of  this  child  was  not  of  long  duration, 
for  the  young  prince  died  when  he  was  nine  months  old.  My 
grandfather  felt  his  death  all  the  more  painfully,  as  at  that 
time  the  crown  princess  had  no  hopes  of  another  child ;  and 
wishing,  as  he  did,  so  passionately  that  the  crown  should  pass 
in  a  direct  line  to  his  immediate  heirs,  he  determined  to  re- 
marry. His  ministers  proposed  and  suggested  to  him  various 
princesses,  and  he  chose  from  among  them  Sophie  Louise  of 
Mecklenburg-Schwerin. 

This  third  marriage  did  not  turn  out  to  his  satisfaction ;  and 
I  have  been  told  that  the  husband  and  wife  began  to  quarrel 
the  very  next  day  after  their  marriage.  As  this,  however,  all 
happened  before  my  birth,  I  will  not  waste  more  words  about 
.it.  I  shall  have  enough  to  do  in  remembering  all  that  con- 
cerns my  life,  and  shall  therefore  now  commence  with  my  own 
recollections. 

On  the  same  day  that  the  new  queen  made  her  entry  into 
Berlin,  the  crown  princess  announced  that  she  had  certain 
hopes  of  another  child.  The  joy  at  this  announcement  was 

*  The  first  wife  of  my  greaUgraudfathcr,  Frederick  William,  named  tlie 
Great  Elector. 


MEMOIE8    OP   THE    MAKGKAVINE    OF   BAIREUTU.  17 

universal.  Every  one  resolved  in  tbeir  minds  it  would  be  a 
prince,  and  whoever  had  been  beard  to  predict  the  birth  of  a 
daughter  would  have  met  with  a  sorry  welcome.  The  pre- 
diction would,  however,  have  come  true,  and  I  was  destined  to 
throw  cold  water  on  their  joy.  I  was  born  at  Berlin  on  the 
3d  of  July,  1709.  The  Kings  of  Denmark  and  Poland,  who  were 
on  a  visit  to  my  grandfather  at  the  time,  were  my  godfathers, 
so  that  three  kings  and  one  queen  were  present  at  my  christen- 
ing, which  was  celebrated  with  the  greatest  pomp  and  cere- 
mony. The  strangest  part  of  it  all  was,  that  the  three  sover- 
eigns were  each  called  Frederick,  and  belonged  to  three  different 
religions.  Their  presence  was  the  cause  of  endless  predictions 
as  to  my  future.  I  was  to  be  the  possessor  of  as  many  crowns 
as  there  had  been  kings  present  at  my  christening ;  and  a 
Hessian  nobleman  even  went  so  far  in  his  folly  as  to  compare 
me  to  the  Child  Jesus,  whom  the  three  wise  kings  from  the 
East  came  to  adore.  This  comparison,  absurd  as  it  was,  found 
so  much  favor  with  my  grandfather  that  he  made  the  noble- 
man a  present  of  a  thousand  ducats. 

None  of  the  beautiful  good  things  foretold  me  ever  came  to 
pass.  If  people  had  been  satisfied  with  saying  that  I  should 
be  content  with  my  lot,  then  they  would  have  spoken  the  truth, 
for  I  really  am  so,  and  would  not  change  iny  present  position 
for  the  crowns  of  all  the  world. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  I  received  the  names  of  Frederica  Sophie 
Wilhelmine.  If  I  had  been  asked  my  advice  I  would  have 
chosen  the  name  Charlotte.  The  queen,  rny  grandmother,  was 
called  so ;  and  I  have  heard  so  much  good  of  her,  and  she  is 
still  so  beloved  by  all,  that  I  should  have  wished  to  be  like  her, 
even  in  the  very  smallest  particular. 

Though  the  birth  of  a  prince  had  been  so  much  desired,  my 
grandfather  soon  became  very  fond  of  me,  and  occupied  him- 
self much  with  my  education.  When  I  was  eighteen  months 
old,  I  already  talked  a  great  deal,  and  was  much  more  forward 
than  children  of  my  age  generally  were.  At  two  years  old  I 
2 


18  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGBAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII. 

ran  about  everywhere  alone,  and  was  full  of  mischief,  to  the 
great  delight  of  my  parents ;  in  fact,  I  was  their  idol,  and  that 
of  their  whole  Court. 

In  the  year  1710  the  crown  princess  gave  birth  to  a  prince, 
who,  however,  died  a  few  months  afterwards.  Another  son 
was  born  in  17 12,  who  received  the  name  of  Frederick.  He 
was  the  brother  who  was  educated  with  me,  who,  for  a  thou- 
sand reasons,  became  so  inexpressibly  dear  to  me,  and  who  1 
have  the  comfort  of  knowing  was  the  admiration  of  all  Europe. 
Madame  von  Konnke,  wife  of  the  Grand  Maitre  de  la  Garde- 
robe,  had  the  chief  supervision  over  onr  education.  Madame 
von  Rocoulc,  who  had  brought  up  my  father,  was  my  brother's 
governess ;  and  the  crown  princess  gave  me  into  the  charge 
of  a  certain  Loti.  Madame  von  Kielmannsegge,  afterwards 
known  as  Lady  Arlington,  in  whom  my  mother  at  that  time 
had  great  confidence,  had  recommended  this  person  to  her.  It 
is  necessary  to  describe  Luti.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Gregori 
Leti,  a  monk.  He  had  escaped  to  Holland,  where  he  is  known 
through  several  works  which  he  wrote  there  by  way  of  sup- 
porting himself,  as  he  was  in  the  greatest  poverty.  He  had 
not  been  able  to  give  his  daughter  any  education,  so  that  she 
had  not  more  civility  in  her  composition  than  is  generally  met 
with  in  the  Dutch.  Her  character  was  composed  of  all  the 
faults  which  are  attributed  to  Italians.  She  was  very  clever, 
had  acquired  a  good  deal  of  knowledge,  and  could  express  her- 
self with  great  ease;  she  was  very  violent,  revengeful,  and  of 
no  high  morality.  All  these  faults  she  hid,  however,  under 
the  cloak  of  apparent  piety,  with  which  she  deceived  those  who 
did  not  know  her  intimately.  Happily  my  good  disposition  was 
stronger  than  her  bad  example. 

In  January,  1713,  Frederick  I.  (my  grandfather)  was  taken 
seriously  ill.  His  much  weakened  constitution  made  the  doctors 
soon  despair  of  his  life ;  but  he  survived  till  the  28th  of  February, 
on  which  day  he  died,  full  of  resignation  and  courage.  I  re- 
jncmber  hjs  sending  for  my  brother  and  myself  the  day  before 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIUEUTH.  19 

he  died,  and  his  blessing  us.  He  was  mourned  by  his  people, 
and  with  reason  :  lie  was  really  so  good  and  so  liberal-minded, 
and  deserves  no  blame  beyond  that  of  letting  his  ministers  gain 
too  much  influence  over  him.  The  splendor  of  his  funeral  I 
pass  over  in  silence.  For  six  months  the  Court  remained  on 
the  same  footing,  then  all  was  completely  altered.  Whoever 
wished  to  gain  the  king's  favor  had  to  don  the  helmet  and 
cuirass ;  everybody  was  to  be  officer  and  soldier,  and  not  a 
vestige  of  the  old  Court  remained.  Major-general  Grumkow 
was  at  the  head  of  affairs,  and  shared  with  the  Prince  of  An- 
halt  the  entire  confidence  of  the  young  king.  But  that  all 
this  may  be  clearly  understood,  I  must  describe  the  king's 
character,  as  well  as  that  of  his  two  favorites. 

The  crown  prince's  education  had  been  intrusted  to  Count 
Alexander  Dona,  who  had  very  much  neglected  it,  and  being 
himself  of  a  very  avaricious  nature,  had  imbued  him  with  a 
great  love  of  money. 

Ever  since  he  was  a  child  the  prince  had  loved  soldiers  and 
soldiering.  He  was  a  great  genius,  and  capable  of  great  things. 
He  bad  a  keen  perception  :  in  fact  he  possessed  all  the  attri- 
butes of  a  great  man.  Nevertheless,  all  these  fine  sides  of  his 
character  were  overshadowed  by  his  violent  temper,  which  at 
times  burst  into  perfect  paroxysms  of  fury.  He  was  just  to 
the  extreme,  and  his  love  of  fairness  and  justice  often  prevented 
his  giving  way  to  the  gentler  and  kindlier  instincts  of  his  nat- 
ure. When,  however,  he  once  cared  for  any  one  he  was  never 
known  to  desert  him,  and  in  spite  of  his  avarice  he  was  most 
charitable  to  the  poor.  This  is  proved  by  the  several  charita- 
ble institutions  founded  by  him.  He  disliked  outward  show 
and  luxury.  His  governor  had  found  it  possible  to  give  him  a 
very  bad  opinion  of  the  fair  sex,  and  he  was,  in  consequence, 
not  only  very  jealous  of  the  queen,  but  extremely  harsh  and 
severe  in  his  treatment  of  his  daughters. 

The  Prince  of  Anhalt  ranked  very  high  as  a  military  com- 
mander, and  combined  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  military 


20  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

matters  a  wonderful  bead  for  all  business.  Ills  rough  and  un- 
couth nature  made  him  an  object  of  fear,  a  feeling  which  bis 
personal  appearance  fully  justified.  His  overweening  ambition 
rendered  him  capable  of  any  crime  in  order  to  attain  the  end 
he  had  in  view.  An  implacable  enemy,  he  was,  at  the  same 
time,  a  most  faithful  friend,  and  his  enmity  was  never  shown 
excepting  to  those  who  had  offended  him — indeed,  he  is  known 
on  several  occasions  to  have  shown  both  kindness  and  generosi- 
ty to  the  relations  of  the  very  people  with  whom  he  had  the 
bitterest  feuds. 

Grumkow,  who  afterwards  became  Field-marshal,  may  well 
pass  for  one  of  the  cleverest  ministers  that  had  been  seen  for 
some  time.  With  great  pliancy  of  mind  he  combined  a  great 
charm  in  conversation,  a  readiness  and  cleverness  in  repartee, 
which  made  him  delightful  in  society.  This  pleasing  exterior, 
however,  hid  a  false,  selfish,  and  perfidious  heart.  His  behav- 
ior proved  all  this,  and  he  was,  besides,  extravagant,  irritable, 
and  peevish. 

Two  characters  such  as  these  I  have  just  described  were  in- 
deed capable  of  ruining  a  young  sovereign,  as  well  as  his  coun- 
try. Both  were  fast  friends;  their  long -cherished  plan  had 
been  to  rule  the  king  entirely,  and  to  have  a  queen  that  should 
be  quite  subservient  to  them.  As  the  crown  prince's  marriage 
with  the  Hanoverian  princess,  however,  entirely  upset  their 
plans,  nothing  remained  for  them  but  to  try  and  sow  disunion 
between  the  husband  and  wife,  in  order  to  prevent  the  crown 
prince  from  reposing  any  trust  in  his  consort.  To  attain  this 
end  they  encouraged  all  his  worst  passions,  entangled  him  in 
all  their  evil  ways,  and  roused  his  jealousy  against  the  crown 
princess.  They  continued  this  shameful  behavior  even  after 
the  crown  prince  came  to  the  throne,  and  caused  the  queen 
endless  worry  and  annoyance.  It  required,  as  will  be  seen  from 
these  memoirs,  all  the  strength  of  her  character  to  withstand 
the  attacks  made  upon  her.  But  I  will  now  turn  to  pleasanter 
subjects. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  21 

Queen  Anne  of  England  died  a  year  after  Frederick  I.,  and 
my  grandfather  on  my  mother's  side,  the  Elector  George,  as- 
cended the  throne  of  England.  He  hastened  to  his  new  king- 
dom, where  he  was  crowned;  his  eldest  son  took  the  title  of 
Prince  of  Wales,  and  his  son  again,  Prince  Frederick,  that  of 
Duke  of  Gloucester.  In  this  same  year,  too,  the  queen  gave 
me  a  sister,  who  was  named  Frederica  Louise  ;  but  I  will  quick- 
ly pass  over  this  event,  as  I  have  determined  to  write  only  the 
story  of  my  own  life,  and  therefore  to  mention  those  facts 
alone  which  have  to  do  with  myself. 

My  brother,  who  in  consequence  of  my  father's  ascending 
the  throne  had  become  crown  prince,  was  in  very  delicate 
health ;  and  this,  combined  with  the  sullen  and  melancholy 
state  of  his  mind,  made  people  fear  for  his  life.  The  Prince  of 
Anhalt  and  Grumkow  were  perhaps  the  only  persons  that  de- 
sired his  death,  as  through  it  they  hoped  that  the  Margrave  of 
Schwedt,  one  of  the  first  Princes  of  the  Blood,  and  through  his 
mother  nephew  to  the  Prince  of  Anhalt,  might  succeed  to  the 
throne.* 

They  wished  me  to  marry  this  prince,  that  the  Allodial  Es- 
tates, which  had  *x>me  through  the  female  line,  should  not  pass 
out  of  the  family.  They  urged  the  desirability  of  this  mar- 
riage on  the  king,  representing  to  him  the  advantages  it  would 
have,  not  only  in  retaining  the  Allodial  Estates,  but  in  securing 
the  Margrave's  alliance  to  Prussia  for  all  time. 

*  The  Elector  Frederick  William  (my  great-grandfather)  had  two  wives  ; 
his  first  wife,  Princess  of  Orange,  bore  him  two  sous,  Frederick  I.  and 
Prince  Louis,  who  married  a  Princess  Radziwil,  and  had  no  children.  The 
second  wife  of  Frederick  William  was  Sophie  Dorothea,  Princess  of  Hol- 
stein-Gliicksburg,  widow  of  Duke  Christian  Louis  of  Liimburg.  She  bore 
him  four  princes  and  two  princesses  ;  one  of  the  sons,  Charles,  died  in  Ita- 
ly, and  of  the  three  others — Philip,  Albert,  and  Louis — the  eldest  married 
a  princess  of  Anhalt.  He  left  at  his  death  two  daughters  and  a  son;  the 
Margrave  Frederick,  the  eldest  of  these  two  sons,  was  therefore  the  first 
Prince  of  the  Blood,  and  in  consequence,  if  the  king  died  without  male 
heirs,  the  probable  heir  to  the  Crown  of  Prussia  and  to  the  Electorate. 


22  MEMOIUS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

At  first  M.  von  Grumkow  mentioned  the  idea  only  casually, 
but  after  a  while  the  plan  took  a  more  decided  shape,  and  at 
last  was  presented  in  so  favorable  a  light  to  the  king  that  lie 
promised  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  further 
his  nephew's  suit,  and  actually  authorized  the  Margrave  to  pay 
me  regular  court. 

This  prince  was  born  in  1700,  and  was  therefore  nine  years 
older  than  I  was.  I  was  not  of  an  age  at  that  time  either  to 
love  or  to  hate,  and  whether  it  was  an  innate  dislike,  or  merely 
a  piece  of  childish  obstinacy  on  my  part,  I  could  not  bear  him. 
Leti,*  whom  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  and  Grumkow  had  won  over 
to  their  side,  was  never  weary  of  singing  my  suitor's  praises  to 
me,  and  when  it  happened  that  I  treated  him  roughly,  or  played 
some  practical  joke  on  him,  there  was  no  end  to  the  scolding 
afterwards.  It  was  some  time  before  the  queen,  my  mother, 
had  the  faintest  idea  of  this  plan,  for  she  had  never  for  one 
moment  imagined  that  the  visits  the  Margrave  paid  me  were 
anything  else  than  those  of  the  merest  civility.  At  last  the 
king  told  her,  and  spoke  of  my  marriage  with  the  Margrave  as 
a  settled  thing.  The  news  fell  like  a  thunder-bolt  on  the  queen, 
and  she  at  once  determined  that  I  should  marry  her  own  neph- 
ew, the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  for  she  perceived  but  too  clearly 
that  the  little  influence  she  still  had  over  the  king  was  to  be 
undermined.  The  king's  health  was  very  indifferent,  and  se- 
vere nervous  attacks  often  endangered  his  life.  The  queen  had, 
up  to  this  time,  lived  in  hopes  that,  should  he  die,  she  would 
have  the  sole  guardianship  of  my  brother,  and  be  Regent.  Now, 
liowevcr,  through  this  marriage  with  the  Margrave,  she  saw  all 
her  fondest  hopes  destroyed,  and  the  power  of  her  enemies  in- 
creased. 

Knowing,  as  she  did,  that  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  and  Grum- 
kow would  not  hesitate  at  committing  any  crime  to  further 
their  ambitious  ends,  she  had  every  reason  to  tremble  for  my 

*  My  governess. 


MEMOIRS  OP  THE  MARGRAVINE  OF  BAIREUTH.        23 

brother.  Even  had  the  queen  not  been  so  opposed  to  this 
marriage,  she  had  little  reason  to  anticipate  any  happiness  for 
me  in  it,  for  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt  was  a  worthy  nephew 
of  the  Prince  of  Anhalt.  His  low  propensities,  his  love  for  all 
that  was  evil,  and  his  cruelty  and  brutality,  already  singled  him 
out  for  a  second  Nero. 

The  marriage  with  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  was  quite  another 
thing.  The  alliance  with  England  would  be  a  great  support 
to  my  mother,  and  promised  me  a  much  happier  future.  The 
queen,  therefore,  violently  opposed  my  marriage  with  the  Mar- 
grave of  Schwedt ;  but  neither  her  tears  nor  her  entreaties,  nor 
all  the  reasons  she  put  forward  against  it,  had  the  slightest  ef- 
fect in  shaking  the  king's  determination,  and  the  only  hope 
left  her  was  that,  on  account  of  my  extreme  youth,  the  mar- 
riage might  be  indefinitely  postponed. 

For  some  time  to  come,  affairs  of  a  far  graver  nature  now 
took  up  the  king's  attention.  In  1715  he  made  war  against 
King  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden ;  and  though  the  queen  was  ex- 
pecting her  confinement,  she  followed  her  husband  to  Pomera- 
nia,  where  he  was  with  his  army.  After  the  Saxon  troops  and 
the  King  of  Denmark  had  joined  my  father,  the  two  sovereigns 
laid  siege  to  Stralsund,  where  King  Charles  had  shut  himself 
up.  The  result  of  this  campaign,  which  lies  beyond  the  prov- 
ince of  my  memory,  is  well  known  to  all  the  world,  and  reflected 
ihonor  both  on  my  father  and  his  allies. 

During  the  queen's  absence  I  was  intrusted  to  the  care  of 
Leti,  and  my  brother  to  that  of  Madame  von  Rocoule.  Leti 
gave  herself  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  teaching  me.  She  taught 
me  the  first  rudiments  of  History  and  Geography.  I  read  flu- 
ently, and  also  wrote  tolerably  for  my  age.  As  I  saw  many 
people  while  the  queen  was  absent,  I  learned  to  behave  myself 
with  discretion  and  good  manners,  so  that  on  her  return  the 
queen  was  quite  delighted  with  my  little  person.  My  joy  at 
seeing  her  again,  and  the  fondling  and  tenderness  I  received 
from  her,  gave  me  such  emotions  that  I  broke  a  blood-vessel  in 


24  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

consequence,  and  the  hemorrhage  not  only  was  stopped  with 
difficulty,  but  returned  next  day  with  such  violence  that  the 
doctor  despaired  of  my  life.  My  life  was,  however,  saved,  but 
the  great  weakness  this  attack  left  obliged  me  to  keep  my  bed 
for  many  weeks.  As  soon  as  I  was  well  again,  the  queen  took 
advantage  of  the  great  ease  with  which  I  learned  to  give  me 
different  masters,  among  them  the  famous  La  Crape,  celebrated 
for  his  knowledge  of  the  Oriental  and  dead  languages.  These 
masters  took  it  in  turn  to  teach  me,  so  that  my  whole  day  was 
occupied,  and  I  had  but  little  time  for  relaxation. 

At  the  Court  of  Berlin  only  officers  were  seen,  but  it  was 
nevertheless  very  numerously  attended  by  persons  from  all 
quarters.  During  the  king's  absence  the  queen  held  recep- 
tions every  evening.  My  father  was  mostly  at  Potsdam,  which 
was  close  by,  where  he  lived  like  a  simple  nobleman.  His 
chief  occupation  was  the  formation  of  a  regiment,  which  he 
had  already  begun  during  the  lifetime  of  Frederick  I.  Of  an 
afternoon  he  went  out  shooting,  and  in  the  evening  smoked 
with  his  officers  and  favorites.  This  assembly  was  called  the 
"  Tabagie ;"  *  and  even  when  he  was  at  Berlin  there  was  not 
much  alteration  in  the  arrangements  of  his  day. 

There  were  at  this  time  in  Berlin  many  Swedish  officers  who 
had  been  taken  prisoners  at  the  siege  of  Stralsund.  Among 
these  was  one  named  Croom,  well  known  throughout  the  town 
as  an  astrologer.  Most  people  are  superstitious,  and  like  to  be- 
lieve in  such  follies;  and  though  I  do  not  belong  to  the  num- 
ber, I  cannot  resist  mentioning  a  curious  fact,  which  I,  how- 
ever, consider  as  mere  coincidence.  The  queen  was  curious  to 
know  Croom,  and  sent  for  him.  She  gave  him  her  hand,  that 
he  might  tell  her  her  fortune,  and  he  foretold  the  birth  of  a 
princess,  which  event  also  really  took  place  in  March,  171G,  two 
months  after  the  interview.  To  the  prince,  my  brother,  he 
predicted  a  very  troublous  youth,  but  added  that  in  later  years 

*  A  sinoking-club. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  25 

he  would  become  emperor,  and  be  one  of  the  greatest  of  Eu- 
rope's princes.  The  lines  in  my  hand  did  not  promise  so 
much  happiness  and  prosperity  as  did  those  in  my  brother's. 
At  first  the  astrologer  exclaimed  that  he  had  never  seen  such 
an  "  unlucky  hand,"  and  that  my  whole  life  would  be  a  net- 
work of  troubles,  and  that  any  prosperity  would  always  be  cut 
short  by  fresh  storms ;  that  I  should  have  three  great  offers  of 
marriage,  but  that  he  doubted  if  any  of  these  would  be  found 
acceptable.  He  meant  by  these  France,  England,  and  Poland. 
The  contents  of  these  pages  will  show  that  this  man  was  not 
altogether  wrong  in  his  predictions. 

One  of  the  queen's  ladies  named  Wagniss  was  also  very  anx- 
ious to  know  her  fortune.  Croom  told  her  that  she  would  be 
sent  away  from  Court  before  the  year  was  out;  and  on  Ma- 
dame von  Blaspiel  asking  him  what  would  happen  to  her,  he 
answered  her  that  her  fate  would  be  very  like  that  of  Made- 
moiselle von  Wagniss,  and  that  her  departure  from  the  Court 
would  be  as  unpleasant  as  that  of  the  first  named  lady.  All 
this  soon  afterwards  came  true. 

The  mother,  Madame  von  Wagniss,  was  Mistress  of  the  Robes 
to  the  king's  aunt,  the  Margravine  Albert.  Sbe  was  one  of 
the  greatest  intrigantes  at  Court;  and  although  she  was  al- 
ready advanced  in  years,  she  had  still  many  lovers.  She  had 
three  daughters,  who  were  all  beautiful  as  angels.  She  fa- 
vored those  who  had  most  to  offer,  and  who  could  be  most  use- 
ful in  obtaining  for  her  knowledge  of  Cabinet  secrets,  which 
knowledge  she  afterwards  sold  to  the  foreign  ministers  at  the 
Court.  This  scandalous  behavior  she  sought  to  hide  under  a 
cloak  of  extreme  piety,  so  that  she  was  considered  to  be  virtue 
itself.  Her  gracious  manner  fascinated  all,  and  gained  her 
many  friends  among  those  who  could  not  know  her  real  char- 
acter. Her  main  object  was  to  obtain  for  one  of  her  daugh- 
ters an  appointment  at  Court  in  the  hopes  of  her  becoming 
the  king's  mistress,  and  for  this  purpose  she  chose  the  most 
beautiful  of  her  three  girls.  The  queen  appointed  her  lady- 


26  MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MAR'GRAVlNE    OP    1UIREUTH. 

in-waiting.  Having  succeeded  in  this  first  step,  mother  and 
daughter  now  sought  by  every  means  in  their  power  to  attain 
the  object  they  had  in  view.  In  the  first  place,  they  sought  to 
obtain  the  queen's  favor,  and  then  the  friendship  of  all  those 
who  more  immediately  surrounded  the  king. 

[The  Margravine  of  Baireuth  here  gives  a  most  detailed  ac- 
count of  a  very  scandalous  intrigue  got  up  by  Madame  von 
Wagniss  between  her  daughter  and  a  worthless  young  Court 
functionary,  in  the  hopes  of  finally  entangling  the  king  in  it- 
Happily,  Grumkow  and  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  became  aware  of 
it,  and  told  the  king,  lie  thereupon  desired  the  queen  instant- 
ly to  dismiss  Mademoiselle  von  Wagniss.  The  queen,  who  did 
not  know  how  far  matters  had  gone,  and  really  liked  the  lady, 
felt  grieved  at  parting  with  her.  After  her  dismissal  she  and 
her  mother  published  anonymously  the  most  scandalous  satire 
on  the  king  and  queen.  We  will  now  return  to  the  Margra- 
vine's own  recollections.] 

Three  months  after  this  unpleasant  business  the  queen  was; 
confined  with  a  prince,  whose  birth  caused  great  joy  through- 
out the  whole  country.  He  was  named  William,  but  died  ini 
the  year  1719. 

Towards  the  end  of  this  year  (1715)  Count  Poniatowsky 
came  incognito  to  Berlin.  He  was  sent  there  by  King  Charles 
XII.  of  Sweden.  As  he  knew  the  chamberlain,  von  Printz, 
having  been  Envoy  at  the  Russian  Court  with  him,  Count  Po- 
niatowsky begged  his  kind  offices  in  obtaining  him  a  private 
interview  with  the  king.  My  father  went  one  evening,  when 
it  was  getting  dark,  to  the  apartments  of  M.  de  Printz,  who 
lived  in  the  Castle,  and  saw  Count  Poniatowsky  there.  Very 
advantageous  propositions  were  made  to  the  king  by  Sweden, 
of  which,  however,  I  remember  only  two.  Sweden  offered  to 
surrender  Swedish  Pomerania  in  perpetuity  to  the  king  my 
father,  and  in  return  he  was  to  promise  me  in  marriage  to  the 
Swedish  king,  for  which  ultimate  purpose  I  was  to  be  taken 
over  to  Sweden  when  I  reached  the  age  of  twelve.  The  death 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE  MARGRAVINE  OF  BAIUETTTRT.        27 

of  King  Charles  at  Friedrichshall  in  1719  prevented  this  mar- 
riage. 

All  that  I  have  here  been  telling  does  not  directly  concern 
me.  My  extreme  youth — I  was  only  eight  years  old — pre- 
vented my  taking  part  in  these  events.  The  whole  day  I  was 
occupied  with  my  masters,  and  in  my  play-time  I  was  allowed 
to  see  my  brother.  There  never  was  such  love  as  ours  for  one 
another!  My  brother  had  great  intelligence,  but  was  not  at  all 
lively  ;  he  was  very  quick  of  perception,  but  he  had  the  great- 
est difficulty  in  remembering  what  he  had  learned.  I,  on  the 
contrary,  was  extremely  quick,  and  had  a  wonderful  memory. 
The  king  could  not  bear  my  brother:  he  never  saw  him  with- 
out ill-treating  him,  and  this  caused  my  brother  a  fear  of  his 
father  and  a  shyness  in  his  presence  which  he  never  got  over.. 
I  was  my  father's  favorite.  He  showed  more  love  and  tender- 
ness to  me  than  to  any  of  his  other  children.  I  often  used  my 
advantage  in  begging  and  obtaining  favors,  and  I  have  saved 
the  life  of  many  a  poor  creature,  for  the  king  never  refused 
me  any  request. 

Meanwhile  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  and  Grumkow  continued 
their  intrigues.  The  birth  of  my  second  brother  had  not 
changed  their  plans ;  it  had  only  altered  the  mode  of  carrying 
them  out.  A  second  journey  of  the  king  and  queen  to  Han- 
over in  1717  gave  rise  to  talk  about  a  double  marriage  between 
my  brother,  the  crown  prince,  and  Princess  Amelia  of  Eng- 
land, and  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  and  myself.  At  the  same 
time  I  received  several  letters  and  presents  from  the  latter,  and 
our  correspondence  lasted  for  more  than  a  year.  The  Prince 
of  Anhalt  and  Grumkow  did  not  dare  to  press  forward  their 
plan  again  for  my  marriage  with  the  Margrave  of  Schwcdt. 
They  knew  the  king  too  well  to  openly  oppose  his  wishes. 
To  attain  their  object  they  must  continue  to  endeavor  to  put 
an  end  to  the  friendly  relations  which  subsisted  between  him 
and  England,  and  of  this  they  did  not  despair.  It  was  in  this 
year  that  the  wicked  plots  of  a  certain  Clement  were  discov- 


28  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

ered.  He  was  accused  of  high-treason,  of  having  forged  the 
handwriting  and  seals  of  several  great  potentates,  and  of  having 
caused  disunion  between  several  of  the  great  powers.  Clement 
was  of  high  birth ;  some  said  he  was  the  son  of  the  Duke  of 
Orleans,  Regent  of  France ;  others,  of  the  King  of  Denmark. 
His  great  resemblance  to  the  Duke  of  Orleans  always  made 
people  maintain  that  he  was  descended  from  him.* 

I  am  not  acquainted  with  the  more  intimate  details  relating 
to  this  adventurer,  as  everything  was  kept  so  secret  that  no  one 
has  ever  known  the  real  truth  ;  but  what  I  do  know,  positively, 
is  that  Clement  disclosed  all  Grumkow's  secret  speculations  to 
the  king,  and  would  have  caused  his  downfall,  but  that  the 
proofs  were  wanting.  He  had  not  one  of  the  letters  he  prom- 
ised to  send  the  king;  and,  though  he  insisted  on  having  had 
private  interviews  with  him,  it  turned  out  when  he  was  con- 
fronted with  Grumkow,  that  he  did  not  even  know  him.  Noth- 
ing more  was  wanted  to  prove  that  his  accusations  were  false. 
His  trial  lasted  nearly  six  months.  So  much  to  heart  did  the 
king  take  the  whole  of  this  affair  that  he  was,  in  consequence, 
seized"  at  Brandenburg  with  serious  illness.  Messengers  were 
forthwith  despatched  for  the  queen,  who  at  once  started  for 
Brandenburg,  and  on  her  arrival  that  same  night,  found  the 
king  so  ill  that  the  doctors  gave  up  all  hope.  My  father  made 
his  last  will,  and  those  to  whom  he  dictated  his  la»t  wishes 
were  well  known  for  their  honesty  and  devotion.  In  this  last 
will  the  king  named  the  queen  Regent  of  Prussia,  etc. ;  and  the 
King  of  England,  as  well  as  the  emperor,  guardians  of  the  young 
prince.  A  few  hours  before  the  messenger  left,  whom  my  fa- 
ther sont  for  my  mother,  two  others  had  started  to  fetch  the 
Prince  of  Anhalt  and  Grumkow.  I  do  not  know  what  reason 
can  have  delayed  them,  but  they  did  not  start  till  late  at  night. 

*  He  came  from  Transylvania,  and  was  called  Rosenau.  He  was  secre- 
tary to  Prince  Ragot/.ky,  whom  he  betrayed  and  deserted,  lie  then  took 
the  name  of  Clement,  in  order  to  continue  his  forgeries  undiscovered. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  29 

The  king's  illness  made  such  rapid  progress  that  the  doctors 
gave  my  father  only  a  few  hours  more  to  live.  The  fear  that 
if  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  and  Grumkow's  arrival  were  long  de- 
layed he  would  no  longer  be  able  to  seal  his  will,  induced  him 
to  sign  it.  Knowing,  however,  beforehand  what  reproaches  and 
what  opposition  the  will  would  meet  with  from  those  two,  as 
they  wero  not  even  mentioned  in  it,  he  extracted  a  promise 
from  the  queen,  while  giving  her  a  copy  of  it,  to  keep  the  con- 
tents a  complete  secret.  Those,  too,  who  had  been  witnesses, 
and  those  who  had  written  out  the  will,  were  made  to  take  an 
oath  to  the  same  effect.  The  business  was  scarcely  over,  and 
all  signed  and  sealed,  when  the  prince  and  Grumkow  arrived. 

As  they  had  their  creatures  everywhere  about  the  king,  they 
soon  learned  what  had  taken  place  respecting  the  will,  but  they 
never  could  succeed  in  finding  out  what  the  contents  of  it  were. 
Nevertheless,  the  very  secrecy  that  was  observed  soon  led  them 
to  perceive  that  they  were  not  to  be  the  guardians  of  the  young 
prince ;  and,  furthermore,  that  as  the  queen  had  received  a  copy 
of  the  document,  she  must  have  been  named  .Regent.  Their 
despair  knew  no  bounds.  The  time  was  too  short :  the  king 
was  at  the  point  of  death,  and  the  queen  never  left  his  side  for 
one  moment,  so  that  it  was  quite  impossible  to  get  the  will  al- 
tered. Happily  for  them  the  great  danger  in  which  the  king 
was  passed  over  after  several  hours,  and  they  breathed  again. 
The  fever  and  the  pain  decreased.  The  ipecacuanha,  which 
had  been  given  to  the  king  by  the  surgeon  major-general  of 
the  king's  regiment,  had  saved  his  life.  This  surgeon  was 
named  Holzendorf,  and  he  will  again  appear  in  these  memoirs. 
He  was  so  successful  in  his  use  of  this  remedy  that  for  many 
years  afterwards  he  enjoyed  the  king's  especial  favor. 

After  my  father  had  completely  recovered,  he  returned  to 
Berlin  with  my  mother.  The  trial  of  that  wretched  Clement 
was  still  going  on.  He  accused  innumerable  persons  in  order 
to  entangle  them  in  his  trial,  and  by  that  means  prolonged  it. 
This  caused  the  king  to  open  all  letters  that  were  sent  by  post. 


:30  MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MAUGKAVINE    OF    UA1REUTH. 

He  became  daily  more  suspicious,  and  never  went  to  bed  with- 
•out  having  at  his  side  two  loaded  pistols  and  his  sword.  He 
remained  only  a  few  days  in  Berlin,  and  went  with  my  mother 
ito  Wusterhausen. 

The  Prince  of  Anhalt  and  Grumkow  meanwhile  were  not 
idle.  They  could  not  get  this  business  of  the  will  out  of  their 
minds ;  and  Grumkow,  who  was  slyer  than  the  devil  himself, 
undertook  to  get  the  copy  of  the  will  out  of  the  queen's  pos- 
session. To  carry  out  this  plan  he  used  the  following  means. 
I  have  already  mentioned  Madame  von  Blaspiel.  This  lady 
was  most  beautiful  in  person ;  her  disposition  was  very  bright. 
She  had  a  highly  educated  mind  and  a  noble,  honest  heart,  but 
unfortunately  two  great  faults,  which  are  common  to  mankind 
in  general,  overshadowed  her  nobler  qualities.  She  was  intri- 
gante and  a  coquette.  A  gouty  old  husband  of  sixty  years 
was  not  calculated  to  make  a  young  and  beautiful  wife  very 
happy.  Indeed,  some  people  pretended  that  she  led  the  same 
life  with  him  as  Placidia  did  with  the  Emperor  Constantine. 
At  this  time  the  Saxon  envoy,  Count  Manteuffel,  was  her  ami 
intime,  but  this  friendship  was  conducted  in  such  a  manner  that 
no  one  had  ever  thought  of  throwing  the  slightest  doubt  on 
their  relationship  to  one  another.  As  I  said  before,  every  let- 
ter that  came  by  post  was  taken  to  the  king,  and  all  his  days 
at  Wusterhausen  were  spent  in  reading  them  through.  Man- 
teuffel was  making  a  short  tour  in  Saxony,  and  the  king  thus 
came  across  his  letters  to  Madame  von  Blaspiel,  and  also  her  an- 
swers. Their  contents  left  no  doubt  that  more  than  friendship 
existed  between  them.  The  king  made  cruel  jokes  on  the  sub- 
ject, which  soon  reached  Grumkow's  ears,  and  he  determined 
to  use  this  occurrence  as  a  means  towards  attaining  his  object. 

I  am  but  little  acquainted  with  the  political  affairs  at  this 
time,  so  that  I  can  say  nothing  positive  about  them.  I  remem- 
ber only  that  the  King  of  Poland  required  my  father's  help, 
(inunkow,  who  had  known  this  sovereign  for  a  long  time,  wrote 
to  him  and  promised  that  his  hopes  and  wishes  should  be  real- 


MEMOIRS    OF   TIIE    MABGKAV1NE    OF    BAIKEUTH.  31 

i/ed,  if  bo  would  ID  return  combine  witb  him.  The  King  of 
Poland  consented,  and  Manteuffel  returned  to  Berlin  commis- 
sioned to  obtain  from  Madame  von  Blaspiel,  through  his  influ- 
ence with  her,  a  promise  that  she  would  manage  to  get  the 
will  out  of  the  queen's  hands.  It  was  a  ticklish  business. 
Madame  von  Blaspiel  adored  her  mistress,  hut  love  is  a  tyrant. 
Woe  to  those  who  allow  their  passions  to  gain  control  over 
their  principles !  Terrible  hours  of  bitter  remorse  are  in  store 
for  them.  What  can  a  woman  refuse  to  a  man  to  whom  she 
has  sacrificed  the  most  precious  of  all  things — her  honor  ?  Had 
Madame  von  Blaspiel  made  such  reflections,  she  would  have  es- 
caped from  the  quicksands  that  ingulf  so  many.  Manteuffel's 
protestations  of  faithfulness  and  devotion  to  the  queen  at  last 
conquered  his  mistress's  constancy.  Still,  however  great  her 
influence  over  my  mother,  it  required  many  endeavors  and 
many  requests  from  Madame  von  Blaspiel  to  succeed  in  getting 
this  unfortunate  will  into  her  own  hands. 

While  all  this  was  going  on,  Clement's  trial  had  come  to  an 
end.  He  was  found  guilty  and  condemned  to  be  torn  in  pieces, 
and  then  hanged. 

The  wretched  man  heard  his  sentence  pronounced  without 
moving  a  muscle.  He  answered  his  accusers  by  saying,  "  I 
have  only  done  that  which  the  king's  ministers  are  daily  doing. 
They  try  to  deceive  the  ministers  of  other  powers,  and  are 
honored  spies  at  foreign  courts.  If  I  had  been  a  public  char- 
acter, such  as  they  are,  I  might  now  have  reached  the  height  of 
prosperity,  instead  of  ending  on  the  gallows."  He  died  with 
the  greatest  courage.  On  his  way  to  the  place  of  execution  he 
addressed  the  people.  As  his  speech  is  printed,  I  will  not  here 
make  further  mention  of  it.  His  accomplice,  Leman,  was  quar- 
tered ;  and  Heidekamm,  whose  family  had  recently  been  enno- 
bled, was  flogged,  his  sword  and  his  shield,  with  his  arms  on  it, 
broken  in  pieces  by  the  hangman,  and  he  himself  declared  dis- 
honored. Heidekamm  was  punished  so  severely  only  because 
he  had  said  and  written  that  the  king  was  not  Frederick  I.'s 


32  MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

legitimate  son,  but  the  bastard  of  a  nobleman  who  had  lived  at 
Court. 

With  these  sad  events  the  year  171 7  closed.  The  following 
year  was,  however,  not  less  fertile  in  tragic  occurrences.  I  have 
already  mentioned  that  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  and  Grumkow's 
great  object  was  to  disturb  the  happy  relations  between  the 
king  and  queen.  Their  old  project,  rny  marriage  with  the  Mar- 
grave of  Schwedt,  was  not  given  up,  and  they  again  endeavored 
to  win  the  king's  consent  to  it.  As  my  father,  however,  was 
on  very  good  terms  with  England,  he  was  not  now  favorably 
inclined  to  this  plan. 

In  my  sketch  of  the  king's  character  I  mentioned  his  great 
love  of  money  as  one  of  his  chief  faults.  He  disapproved  of 
every  expense  incurred  by  the  queen,  even  when  absolutely  nec- 
essary for  her  high  position  and  rank.  lie,  nevertheless,  gave 
her  most  costly  presents.  Thus,  for  instance,  my  mother  had 
long  wished  to  possess  a  pair  of  very  beautiful  diamond  ear- 
rings, which  had  belonged  to  the  queen  dowager,  and  which 
had  been  left,  with  the  rest  of  the  jewels,  to  my  father.  The 
king  gave  these  ear-rings  to  my  mother  at  the  time  of  the  birth 
of  my  second  brother.  Their  value  was  very  great,  the  dia- 
monds being  worth  26,000  thalers  (£3900).  In  the  hope  of 
creating  a  bad  feeling  between  my  parents  Grumkow  resolved 
to  persuade  the  king  that  the  queen  had  begged  him  for  these 
ear-rings  only  to  sell  them,  that  she  might  pay  her  debts  with 
the  money.  M.  von  Kamke,  who  had  stood  in  great  favor  with 
Frederick  I.,  himself  heard  Grumkow  make  this  vile  suggestion; 
and  having  but  little  doubt  as  to  Grumkow's  object,  at  once 
informed  the  queen,  begging  her,  however,  not  to  mention  his 
having  told  her.  The  king  was  absent  from  home  at  the  time, 
but  as  soon  as  he  returned  the  queen  told  him  what  a  trick 
Grumkow  intended  playing  her.  In  order  to  prevent  even  a 
semblance  of  suspicion,  she  showed  the  king  the  ear-rings,  and 
demanded  an  apology  from  Grumkow.  The  king,  however,  in- 
sisted on  knowing  how  she  had  heard  of  this  plot,  and  said  he 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  33 

should  believe  the  whole  story  if  he  knew  that  her  informant 
was  to  be  trusted. 

The  queen  finding  herself,  so  to  speak,  pushed  into  a  corner, 
was  imprudent  enough  to  mention  Kamke.  The  king  instant- 
ly sent  for  him.  He  repeated  what  he  had  told  the  queen,  and 
furthermore  accused  Grumkow  of  various  other  grave  misdeeds. 
The  kind  manner  in  which  the  king  received  Kamke  had  en- 
couraged him  to  speak  out;  but  not  having  expected  to  be 
summoned  before  the  king  in  the  capacity  of  an  accuser  he  had 
not  sufficient  proofs  at  hand  to  justify  himself,  and  further- 
more, as  he  knew  most  of  the  facts  out  of  Grumkow's  own 
mouth,  had  no  witnesses  to  support  him.  The  result  was  that 
Grumkow's  denials  were  believed,  and  that  Kamke  was  sent  to 
the  fortress  of  Spandau. 

This  fortress,  which  was  four  miles*  from  Berlin,  was  soon 
filled  with  people  of  good  family. 

Grumkow  and  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  were  not  satisfied  with 
having  learned  the  contents  of  the  king's  will  from  Count  Man- 
teuffel,  they  insisted  on  its  being  given  into  their  own  hands. 
All  Count  Manteuffel's  endeavors  to  wrest  it  from  Madame  von 
Blaspiel  remained  fruitless,  and  finding  that  neither  threats  nor 
coaxing  were  of  any  avail,  they  not  only  determined  to  ruin 
her,  but  conceived  the  most  monstrous  plot  ever  heard  of  for 
centuries. 

The  king  used  often  to  amuse  himself  in  the  evening  by  at- 
tending the  performances  of  a  tight-rope  dancer,  which  were 
held  at  the  Town  Hall,  and  I  remember  quite  well  how  some 
of  Grumkow's  creatures,  and  this  minister  himself,  begged  the 
king  to  take  the  young  prince  with  him  to  one  of  these.  They 
insisted  so  much  on  this  point  that  the  king  at  last  consented. 
The  tight-rope  dancer  being,  however,  taken  ill,  the  representa- 
tion was  put  off  till  the  following  Friday. 

On  the  Tuesday  morning,  Madame  von  Blaspiel  came  to  the 

*  About  sixteen  English  miles. 


34  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREOTH. 

queen,  and  implored  her  to  prevent  the  king  and  my  brother 
from  going  to  this  performance.  Why,  she  would  not  say,  be- 
yond mentioning  that  it  was  as  much  as  their  lives  were  worth. 
She  begged  the  queen  to  find  any  pretext  on  the  Friday  for 
diverting  the  king's  attention,  that  he  might  forget  the  hour 
fixed  for  going  to  the  Town  Hall,  and  if  that  did  not  succeed, 
openly  to  oppose  his  going.  I  was  told  to  amuse  the  king. 
On  the  Friday  my  mother  instructed  my  brother  and  myself  in 
the  part  we  were  to  play.  I  had  managed  so  well  to  divert 
my  father  that  it  was  past  half-past  six  before  he  was  aware  of 
it,  and  got  up  to  leave  for  the  performance.  My  mother  in 
vain  told  him  that  it  was  too  late.  The  king  had  hold  of  my 
brother's  hand ;  and  the  boy,  having  been  told  all  manner  of 
stories,  which  had  frightened  him  out  of  his  wits,  screamed, 
and  made  frantic  efforts  to  get  away  from  his  father;  and  as 
the  king  persisted  in  opening  the  door,  my  mother  and  I  threw 
ourselves  at  his  feet,  and  prevented  his  leaving  the  room.  He 
could  not  in  the  least  understand  what  was  the  matter,  and 
was  at  first  inclined  to  be  very  angry.  Our  tears  and  screams, 
and  the  pains  we  took  to  prevent  his  leaving  us,  occupied  so 
much  time  that  the  hour  fixed  for  his  visit  to  the  Town  Hall 
was  long  past,  and  he  gave  up  going.  The  queen  would  never 
afterwards  explain  to  him  the  reason  of  her  strange  conduct ; 
but  just  at  this  time  an  inquiry  was  being  carried  on  which 
led  him  to  guess  part  of  the  truth.  A  certain  Trosqui,  a  man 
of  good  birth,  and  a  native  of  Silesia,  had  just  been  arrested. 
He  had  been  used  as  a  spy  during  the  siege  of  Stralsnnd  ;  and 
though  he  had  on  that  occasion  made  himself  most  useful  to 
the  king,  was  never  liked  or  trusted.  The  suspicion  of  a  secret 
correspondence  had  caused  his  present  arrest.  His  papers, 
which  had  been  seized,  proved  the  surmise  to  be  true.  The 
whole  town  took  a  great  interest  in  his  fate.  His  private 
papers  contained  love-stories  of  all  Berlin,  and  several  letters 
concerning  the  king.  The  king  fancied  that  the  queen's  anx- 
iety had  been  caused  by  the  fear  that  the  numbers  of  the  per- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  35 

sons  mixed  up  in  this  affair  might  combine  together  to  attempt 
some  daring  step  against  him.  This  impression  was  justified 
in  so  far  that  he  had  been  able  to  read  through  but  very  few 
of  the  papers.  But  after  two  days  the  situation  changed. 
Madame  von  Blaspicl  begged  for  a  secret  audience  with  the 
king;  but  before  she  had  spoken  to  him  she  confessed  all  to 
the  queen,  and  told  her  what  she  had  discovered  of  Grumkow's 
abominable  plot.  The  following  was  what  had  been  decided 
on :  Having  given  up  all  hope  of  getting  the  king's  will  out 
of  Madame  von  Blaspiel's  possession,  and  being  convinced  that 
on  the  king's  death  they  would  lose  all  their  fortune,  they  de- 
termined at  all  hazards  to  secure  the  throne  for  the  Margrave 
of  Schwedt,  and  to  assume  the  regency  themselves.  They 
had  determined,  therefore,  to  get  rid  of  the  king  and  my  broth- 
er, and  have  them  murdered  at  the  Town  Hall ;  to  set  fire  to 
the  Castle ;  to  have  my  second  brother  strangled  ;  to  exile  the 
queen  to  some  distant  town,  where  she  should  be  kept  a  pris- 
oner; to  send  at  once  for  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt,  and  im- 
mediately on  his  arrival  to  marry  me  to  him. 

This  plot  was  to  be  carried  out  in  such  a  manner  that  no 
suspicion  could  fall  on  its  instigators.  An  apparently  acci- 
dental riot  in  the  Town  Hall  at  the  moment  the  Castle  was  set 
fire  to  was  to  prevent  their  detection. 

I  heard  all  these  particulars  from  my  mother  herself.  She 
was  not  present  at  the  interview  between  the  king  and  Madame 
von  Blaspiel,  and  did  not  know  what  passed  at  it,  as  she  was 
never  again  able  to  speak  to  the  lady  alone.  The  whole  thing 
was  kept  a  profound  secret,  and  even  to  this  day  no  particulars 
have  transpired ;  but  I  know  that  after  a  second  interview  the 
king  had  with  Madame  von  Blaspiel  he  led  her  to  the  queen, 
saying,  "I  bring  you  here  a  brave  and  noble  woman,  the  best 
friend  I  have  in  the  world." 

Two  days  afterwards  the  parties  concerned  were  confronted 
with  one  another.  Grumkow  had  found  means  to  intrust  the 
inquiry  to  the  fiscal-general,  Kateck,  a  man  of  low  birth,  and 


36  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

one  of  his  own  creatures.  This  man  had  a  particular  gift  of 
entangling  and  confusing  those  who  fell  into  his  hands.  Ma- 
dame von  Blaspiel  was  the  victim  of  his  cleverness.  Various 
cunning  questions,  and  the  skilful  manner  in  which  he  twisted 
her  answers,  reduced  her  to  hopeless  confusion,  and  she  had 
been  imprudent  enough  to  get  no  witnesses  to  support  her  ac- 
cusations. The  opposite  side  were  certainly  in  a  precarious 
plight;  but  their  confidence  and  security  became  as  great  as 
ever,  and  Madame  von  Blaspiel  became  the  victim  of  her  devo- 
tion and  constancy. 

Kateck  proposed  she  should  be  put  on  the  rack,  in  order  to 
force  her  to  confess  the  absolute  falsity  of  her  accusations.  I 
do  not  know  what  prevented  the  king  from  having  this  pro- 
posal carried  out,  but  after  the  trial  was  over  Madame  von 
Blaspiel  was  taken  to  Spandau.  Without  the  slightest  con- 
sideration for  the  queen,  who  was  then  expecting  her  confine- 
ment, the  king,  in  a  perfect  fury,  communicated  to  her  the 
unfortunate  lady's  fate.  I  was  present  on  that  painful  occa- 
sion. The  king  was  so  violent  in  his  attack  on  the  queen  that 
there  was  every  reason  to  fear  a  premature  confinement.  Be- 
sides the  great  friendship  which  the  queen  had  for  Madame 
von  Blaspiel  she  was  in  terrors  about  the  will,  which  was  still 
among  that  lady's  possessions,  and  which  would  naturally  be 
found  among  them.  The  queen  soon  learned  that  Field-mar- 
shal von  Nassmer  had  received  orders  to  seal  up  all  Madame 
von  Blaspiel's  papers,  etc.  On  hearing  this  the  queen  at  once 
sent  her  private  chaplain,  Boshardt,  to  the  field-marshal  to  tell 
him  of  the  sore  strait  she  was  in,  and  to  beg  him  to  restore  her 
the  will.  This  general,  who  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  hon- 
esty, as  well  as  a  most  devoted  servant  of  the  royal  family, 
deemed  ifc  no  act  of  unfaithfulness  to  his  master  and  king  to 
grant  the  queen's  prayer.  He  therefore  had  the  luckless  docu- 
ment, the  cause  of  so  much  trouble  and  sorrow,  restored  to 
her.  Madame  von  Blaspiol  remained  at  Spandau  only  a  year, 
and  was  then  exiled  to  Cleves,  where  she  still  lives. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    1UITJKUTIT.  37 

The  king  at  last  determined  to  put  an  end  to  all  these  in- 
trigues and  plots.  It  may  be  that  the  many  accusations  made 
against  Grumkow  and  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  had  made  an  im- 
pression on  him,  or  it  may  be  that  political  reasons  induced 
him  to  take  the  step.  At  any  rate  he  determined  to  recall  the 
Margrave  of  Schwedt,  who  was  then  travelling,  and  to  marry 
him  to  the  Duchess  of  Corn-land,  afterwards  Empress  of  Russia. 
The  Margrave  arrived  at  Berlin  before  the  end  of  this  year,  but 
in  spite  of  the  great  advantages  which  this  marriage  offered 
him,  he  refused  most  peremptorily  to  acquiesce  in  the  king's 
wishes.  He  evidently  still  had  hopes  of  my  marrying  him, 
which  he  considered  far  more  advantageous;  and  as  he  was 
eighteen  years  old  and  of  age,  the  king  could  not  force  him  to 
marry  against  his  will. 

I  have,  in  the  preceding  year,  forgotten  to  mention  the  ar- 
rival in  Berlin  of  Peter  the  Great,  Emperor  of  Russia.  This 
episode  is  curious  enough  to  be  worthy  of  a  place  in  ray  me- 
moirs. This  sovereign,  who  was  very  fond  of  travelling,  was  on 
his  way  from  Holland,  and  was  obliged,  owing  to  the  empress's 
premature  confinement,  to  make  a  stay  in  the  province  of 
Cleves.  As  he  disliked  both  society  and  formalities,  he  begged 
the  king  to  let  him  occupy  a  villa  on  the  outskirts  of  Berlin 
which  belonged  to  the  queen.  This  villa  was  a  pretty  little 
building,  and  had  been  beautifully  arranged  by  the  queen.  It 
contained  a  gallery  decorated  with  china;  all  the  rooms  had 
most  beautiful  looking-glasses.  The  house  was  really  a  little 
gem,  and  fully  deserved  its  name,  "  Monbijou."  The  garden 
was  lovely,  and  its  beauty  was  enhanced  by  its  being  close  to 
the  river. 

To  prevent  any  damage — as  these  Russian  gentlemen  are 
noted  for  not  being  particular  or  over-careful — the  queen  had 
the  whole  house  cleared  out,  and  removed  everything  that 
might  get  broken.  A  few  days  afterwards  the  emperor  and 
empress  and  their  suite  arrived  by  water  at  Monbijon. 

The  king  and  queen  received  them  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 


85853 


38  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

The  king  gave  the  czarina  his  hand  to  help  her  to  land.  As 
soon  as  the  emperor  had  landed,  he  shook  hands  with  the  king 
and  said,  "  Brother  Frederick,  I  am  very  pleased  to  see  you." 
He  then  approached  the  queen,  wishing  to  embrace  her,  which 
however,  declined.  The  czarina  then  kissed  my  mother's 
hand  repeatedly,  afterwards  presenting  to  her  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Mecklenburg1,  who  accompanied  them,  and  four 
hundred  so-called  ladies.  These  were,  for  the  most  part,  Ger- 
man maids,  ladies'  maids  and  cooks,  who  fulfilled  the  duties  of 
ladies  in  waiting.  The  queen  did  not  feel  inclined  to  bow  to 
these,  and,  indeed,  she  treated  the  czarina  and  the  Princesses 
of  the  Blood  with  great  coldness  and  haughtiness,  and  the 
king  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  persuading  her  to  be  civil 
to  them.  I  saw  this  curious  Court  the  next  day,  when  the 
czar  and  czarina  came  to  visit  the  queen.  She  received  them 
in  the  state-rooms  of  the  Castle,  met  them  at  the  entrance  of 
these  rooms,  and  led  the  empress  to  her  audience-chamber. 

The  king  and  the  emperor  followed  behind.  As  soon  as 
the  emperor  saw  me,  he  recognized  me — having  seen  me  five 
years  ago — took  me  up  in  his  arms  and  kissed  me  all  over  my 
face.  I  boxed  his  ears,  and  made  frantic  efforts  to  get  away 
from  him,  saying  he  had  insulted  me.  This  delighted  him, 
and  made  him  laugh  heartily.  They  had  told  me  beforehand 
what  I  was  to  say  to  him,  so  I  spoke  to  him  of  his  fleet  and 
his  victories.  lie  was  so  pleased  that  he  said  he  would  willingly 
sacrifice  one  of  his  provinces  to  have  such  a  child  as  I  was. 
The  czarina  too  made  much  of  me.  The  queen  and  the  cza- 
rina sat  on  arm-chairs  under  a  canopy,  and  I  stood  near  my 
mother,  the  Princesses  of  the  Blood  standing  opposite. 

The  czarina  was  small,  broad,  and  brown-looking,  without 
the  slightest  dignity  or  appearance.  You  had  only  to  look  at 
her  to  detect  her  low  origin.  She  might  have  passed  for  a 
German  actress,  she  had  decked  herself  out  in  such  a  manner. 
Her  dress  had  been  bought  second-hand,  and  was  trimmed  with 
some  dirty  looking  silver  embroidery  ;  the  bodice  was  covered 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  39 

with  precious  stones,  arranged  in  such  a  manner  as  to  represent 
the  double  eagle.  She  wore  a  dozen  orders ;  and  round  the 
bottom  of  her  dress  hung  quantities  of  relics  and  pictures  of 
saints,  which  rattled  when  she  walked,  and  reminded  one  of  a 
smartly  harnessed  mule.  The  orders  too  made  a  great  noise, 
knocking  against  each  other. 

The  czar,  on  the  other  hand,  was  tall  and  well  grown,  with  a 
handsome  face,  but  his  expression  was  coarse,  and  impressed 
one  with  fear.  He  wore  a  simple  sailor's  dress.  His  wife,  who 
spoke  German  very  badly,  called  her  court  jester  to  her  aid, 
and  spoke  Russian  with  her.  This  poor  creature  was  a  Prin- 
cess Gallizin,  who  had  been  obliged  to  undertake  this  sorry 
office  to  save  her  life,  as  she  had  been  mixed  up  in  a  conspiracy 
against  the  czar,  and  had  twice  been  flogged  with  the  knout! 

At  last  we  sat  down  to  dinner,  the  czar  sitting  near  the 
queen.  It  is  well  known  that  this  sovereign  had,  when  a  young 
man,  been  poisoned,  and  that  his  nerves  had  never  recovered 
from  it,  so  that  he  was  constantly  seized  with  convulsions,  over 
which  he  had  no  control.  He  was  suddenly  seized  with  one 
of  these  attacks  while  he  was  dining,  and  frightened  the  queen 
so  much  that  she  several  times  tried  to  get  up  and  leave  the 
table.  After  a  while,  the  czar  grew  calmer,  and  begged  the 
queen  to  have  no  fear,  as  he  would  not  hurt  her.  Then,  taking 
her  hand  in  his,  he  pressed  it  so  tightly  that  she  screamed  for 
mercy,  at  which  he  laughed,  saying  that  she  had  much  more 
delicate  bones  than  his  Catherine.  A  ball  had  been  arranged 
after  dinner,  but  he  stole  quietly  away,  and  returned  on  foot  to 
Monbijou. 

The  following  day  he  visited  all  the  sights  of  Berlin,  among 
others  the  very  curious  collection  of  coins  and  antiques. 
Among  these  last  named  was  a  statue,  representing  a  heathen 
god.  It  was  anything  but  attractive,  but  was  the  most  valua- 
ble in  the  collection.  The  czar  admired  it  very  much,  and  in- 
sisted on  the  czarina  kissing  it.  On  her  refusing,  he  said  to 
her  in  bad  German  that  she  should  lose  her  head  if  she  did  not 


40  MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

at  once  obey  him.  Being  terrified  at  the  czar's  anger  she  im- 
mediately complied  with  his  orders  without  the  least  hesitation. 
The  czar  asked  the  king  to  give  him  this  and  other  statues,  a 
request  which  he  could  not  refuse.  The  same  thing  happened 
about  a  cupboard,  inlaid  with  amber.  It  was  the  only  one  of 
its  kind,  and  had  cost  King  Frederick  I.  an  enormous  sum,  and 
the  consternation  was  general  on  its  having  to  be  sent  to  IV- 
tersburg. 

This  barbarous  Court  happily  left  after  two  days.  The  queen 
rushed  at  once  to  Monbijou,  which  she  found  in  a  state  re- 
sembling that  of  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  I  never  saw  such  a 
sight.  Everything  was  destroyed,  so  that  the  queen  was 
obliged  to  rebuild  the  whole  house. 

About  this  time  my  brother  was  intrusted  to  the  care  of  two 
governors.  My  mother  appointed  one  of  them,  Field-marshal 
Count  von  Finkenstein ;  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  the  other,  Kal- 
stein,  major  of  an  infantry  regiment.  Count  Finkenstein  was  a 
most  excellent  man,  but  not  clever  enough  to  have  control  over 
such  a  genius  as  my  brother.  He  was  married  to  Madame  von 
Blaspiel's  sister,  and  since  that  lady's  exile  the  queen  had  shown 
the  count  and  his  wife  the  greatest  confidence.  Kalstein  was 
a  good  officer,  but  coarse  and  violent.  He  was  more  fitted  for 
intrigues  than  to  be  the  governor  of  a  young  prince.  He  was 
well  educated,  but  made  little  use  of  what  he  knew,  yet  on  the 
whole  he  was  trustworthy.  The  year  1718,  fruitful  as  it  was 
in  tragic  events,  at  last  came  to  an  end,  and  I  will  now  pass  on 
to  1719. 

The  greater  part  of  the  winter  was  spent  by  the  king  at 
Berlin,  and  he  went  out  a  good  deal  into  society  of  an  evening. 
The  queen  spent  her  whole  day  with  my  brother,  and  had  no 
other  companions  than  him  and  myself.  Nobody  else  dined 
with  her  of  an  evening  beyond  Madame  von  Konnkcn,  her 
mistress  of  the  robes,  and  Madame  von  Rocoule.  Though  the 
former  was  a  most  upright  and  amiable  ladv,  the  queen  did  not 
trust  her,  and  seemed  to  be  quite  oppressed  by  sadness. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  41 

One  day  when  I  was  with  her,  she  said  to  me, "  Listen  to 
me,  dear  Wilhelmine:  I  have  determined  to  keep  you  quite 
under  my  own  eye,  and  to  take  entire  charge  of  your  educa- 
tion ;  but  at  the  same  time,  I  shall  require  many  things  of  you. 
First  of  all,  you  must  care  for  no  one  but  me,  and  then  you 
must  be  silent  as  the  grave  and  obey  me  blindly.  It  depends 
on  yourself  alone  if  you  wish  to  be  treated  as  a  grown-up  girl, 
and  gain  my  whole  affection  by  obeying  me  in  all  things."  I 
promised  her  everything  she  wished,  and  she  then  asked  me 
whether  I  were  not  obliged  every  evening  to  tell  Leti  all  that 
had  taken  place  in  my  mother's  and  the  king's  apartments 
during  the  day,  and  also  whether  she  ever  spoke  to  me  of  the 
Margrave  of  Schwedt.  I  answered  that  this  happened  very 
often,  and  that  she  praised  him  exceedingly.  "  Are  you  sure 
that  you  are  discreet,  and  can  be  silent,"  the  queen  again  said, 
"  and  that  I  can  rely  on  your  not  repeating  whatever  I  may 
confide  to  you?" 

On  my  again  assuring  her  of  my  entire  discretion,  she  then 
told  me  the  whole  story  about  Madame  von  Blaspiel,  just  as  I 
have  written  it  down ;  all  about  the  intrigues  of  the  Prince  of 
Anhalt  and  Grurnkow,  and  also  of  her  constant  anxiety  at  the 
king's  having  again  begun  to  speak  of  my  marriage  with  the 
Margrave.  Finally,  she  spoke  of  her  great  wish  to  see  me 
married  to  her  nephew,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and  of  all  the 
advantages  this  event  would  have  for  me  as  well  as  for  herself. 
She  then  impressed  on  me  not  on  any  account  to  trust  Leti, 
and  added, "  I  know  she  is  in  the  Prince  of  Anhalt's  pay  ;  that 
she  is  constantly  intriguing  with  Major  Fourcade  and  M. 
Fournert,  a  French  minister;  and  I  know  too  that  she  does  not 
treat  you  properly,  and  often  beats  you.  Confess  the  truth  to 
me;  is  it  not  so?"  Although  all  this  was  perfectly  true,  I 
denied  it,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  get  Leti  into  trouble. 

"You  are  too  young,"  the  queen  began  again,  "  to  notice 
her  intrigues,  but  you  cannot  deny  that  she  ill-treats  you,  and 
that  she  only  lately  gave  you  such  blows  in  the  face  that  you 


42  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

bled,  and  in  consequence  had  a  fever  which  obliged  you  to  keep 
your  bed  for  several  weeks." 

I  was  very  much  taken  aback  when  I  found  that  the  queen 
knew  the  whole  story,  and  yet  I  denied  it.  When  the  queen 
observed  that  I  would  say  nothing,  she  merely  remarked  that 
for  the  future  she  wished  me  to  tell  Leti  when  she  asked  me 
about  what  had  occurred  in  my  parents'  rooms  that  I  declined 
to  say  anything,  and  that  it  was  not  my  place,  nor  was  it 
proper  for  me  to  repeat  what  had  taken  place  between  my 
father  and  mother. 

I  had  no  sooner  reached  my  own  room  that  evening  than 
Leti  came  and  sat  down  beside  me,  and  began  at  once  to  ask 
me  about  the  events  of  the  day.  I  did  not  wish  at  once  to 
irritate  her,  so  I  said  I  had  been  working  hard  all  day,  and  did 
not  know  of  anything  that  had  happened.  She  then  began  to 
honor  me  with  pleasing  epithets. 

"You  are  a  great  fool,"  she  said,  "and  just  such  a  donkey 
as  your  mother  is.  I  know  everything  that  has  passed :  you 
have  not  had  so  much  to  do  as  you  pretend,  so  out  with  it  all, 
or  I  will  soon  make  you  speak."  She  only  said  this  to  threat- 
en me.  I  was  trembling  like  an  aspen,  and  did  not  know 
what  to  do,  yet  I  determined  to  obey  my  mother,  and  answered 
Leti  as  she  had  bidden  me.  This  person  was  too  clever  not  to 
observe  that  I  had  been  put  up  to  this.  She  therefore  tried 
by  coaxing  and  threatening  me  to  force  me  to  repeat  what  I 
knew.  But  when  she  saw  it  was  all  of  no  use  she  gave  full 
vent  to  her  fury.  Cuffs  and  blows  were  rained  on  me ;  she 
did  not  know  how  to  contain  herself.  Finally  she  threw  me 
off  my  chair  and  left  me.  1  fell  with  some  violence,  but 
happily  escaped  with  only  a  few  bruises ;  but  my  arms  and 
face  were  black  and  blue,  and  I  was  so  frightened  that  I  could 
not  get  up. 

My  screams  brought  my  maids  to  my  help.  One  of  them 
had  been  my  nurse,  and  waited  on  me  ever  since  my  birth. 
After  she  hud  helped  me,  she  went  to  Leti  and  told  her  that 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAHGUAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.  43 

if  she  continued  this  ill-treatment,  she  would  go  straight  to 
the  queen  and  tell  her  of  it.  When  Leti  saw  what  a  plight  I 
was  in,  and  the  state  of  my  face,  she  got  frightened  and  sat 
up  all  night  bathing  it.  The  next  day  the  queen  was  told  I 
had  had  a  bad  fall,  and  I  was  good-natured  enough  to  say  the 
same.  Whether  my  mother  believed  this  I  do  not  know,  for 
she  said  nothing.  For  the  future,  Leti  spared  my  face ;  but 
my  arms  and  legs  suffered  doubly  from  her  blows.  These 
scenes  took  place  every  evening,  and  I  was  in  utter  despair. 
Nevertheless,  whether  it  was  for  fear  or  from  pride  I  refused 
ever  to  repeat  anything  to  her. 

In  this  manner  the  winter  went  by. 

In  June  the  king  and  queen  thought  fit  to  take  my  brother 
and  myself  to  Charlottenburg,  a  beautiful  castle  near  Berlin. 
Leti  was  left  behind,  and  I  was  intrusted  to  the  care  .of 
Madame  von  Konnken.  My  birthday  was  celebrated  there, 
and  in  honor  of  it  the  king  gave  a  ball ;  and  I  received  some 
beautiful  presents  both  from  him  and  from  my  mother.  They 
grew  daily  fonder  of  me  and  more  devoted.  I  was  now  ten 
years  old,  and  my  mental  capacities  were  far  in  advance  of  ray 
years.  From  Charlottenburg  we  went  to  Wusterhausen,  and 
had  scarcely  arrived  there  when  the  king  was  taken  most 
dangerously  ill.  We  were  in  the  height  of  summer,  and  the 
heat  this  year  was  something  quite  out  of  the  common  ;  yet, 
in  spite  of  this,  the  king  was  shivering  all  day  long.  A  large 
fire  was  kept  burning  in  his  room,  which  was  kept  entirely 
shut  up,  so  that  not  even  a  ray  of  light  could  penetrate  into  it. 
In  this  room  I  had  to  sit  near  the  fire  from  7  A.M.  till  10  P.M., 
leaving  it  only  for  my  meals.  It  was  torture,  and  my  blood 
got  into  such  a  state  of  heat  that  it  made  me  half  dazed.  The 
queen  suffered  quite  as  much  as  I  did,  and  had  the  additional 
anxiety  of  knowing  that  my  brother  Wilhelm  and  my  second 
sister  were  seriously  ill  with  dysentery.  This  complaint  was 
raging  all  over  the  country,  and  many  people  died  from  it. 
It  had  assumed  the  form  of  a  most  dangerous  epidemic.  I 


44  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BATREUTII. 

too  was  soon  attacked  by  it.  The  queen,  who  took  no  notice 
of  people's  ailments,  and  treated  all  illnesses  very  lightly, 
would  not  believe  I  was  ill  till  I  was  at  death's  door.  I  was 
taken  back  to  Berlin  dying,  and  on  my  arrival  there  heard  of 
my  second  brother's  death,  which  had  taken  place  that  morning. 

On  the  ninth  day  of  my  illness,  my  end  was  hourly  expected. 
My  good  constitution,  however,  and  the  care  and  attention  of 
the  doctors,  saved  my  life ;  but  it  was  six  weeks  before  I  was 
able  to  leave  my  bed,  and  the  first  time  I  went  out  was  a  fort- 
night after  my  mother's  return  to  Berlin,  at  the  end  of  Oc- 
tober. 

Leti  continued  to  ill-treat  me.  She  snored  so  loud  that  she 
prevented  my  sleeping,  and  consequently  regaining  my  strength. 
Blows  and  bad  language  were  not  spared  me,  so  that  at  last  I 
sank  into  a  state  of  melancholy.  I  was  never  very  strong,  and 
had  a  most  sensitive  nervous  system,  and  it  was  but  natural 
that  my  health  should  suffer  from  the  constant  state  of  nervous 
excitement  in  which  I  was  kept.  I  got  the  jaundice,  which 
never  left  me  for  two  months,  and  then  only  to  make  room  for 
a  far  more  dangerous  condition — violent  fever  ensued,  which 
developed  into  typhus. 

At  first  I  was  very  delirious,  but  I  soon  became  quite  un- 
conscious. In  spite  of  the  great  danger  to  which  they  exposed 
themselves,  the  king  and  queen  came  to  my  bedside  at  ten 
at  night.  Their  despair  was  terrible,  and  amid  tears  of  the 
bitterest  grief  they  bid  me  a  last  farewell.  I  knew  nothing. 
The  faintest  beating  of  my  heart  was  the  only  sign  of  life 
remaining.  It  was  the  crisis.  Next  morning  I  was  more 
conscious  and  less  feverish,  and  by  slow  degrees  I  recovered. 

As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  speak  again,  the  king  came  to  see 
me.  His  joy  and  thankfulness  at  my  recovery  were  so  great 
that  he  said  I  might  ask  him  for  any  favor  I  chose.  I  resolved 
at  once  to  ask  him  to  let  me  henceforth  be  treated  as  a  grown-up 
person,  and  to  be  no  longer  dressed  like  a  child.  Fie  at  once 
granted  ray  wish;  but  when  he  came  to  talk  it  over  with  the 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  45 

queen,  she  was  strongly  opposed  to  it.  In  the  end,  however, 
she  had  to  give  way. 

I  was  not  able  to  leave  my  room  till  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1820.  I  was  overjoyed  at  no  longer  being  treated  as  a 
child,  and  no  longer  wearing  short  frocks.  I  was  exceedingly 
proud  when  dressed  in  my  long  gown,  and  I  went  to  show  my- 
self to  my  mother.  But,  alas,  I  was  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment, for  no  sooner  had  I  entered  her  room,  than  she  gave  me 
;i  severe  look,  saying,  "  Dear  me  !  What  a  funny  little  figure  ! 
You  look  exactly  like  a  little  dwarf."  Imagine  what  a  blow 
this  was  to  my  vanity.  The  queen  was  in  fact  not  wrong,  but 
it  would  have  been  better  to  have  been  satisfied  with  this  one 
remark.  She  continued,  however,  to  scold  me  roundly  for 
having  preferred  this  request  to  the  king,  as  she  had  told  me 
to  turn  to  her  for  everything ;  and  she  added  that  if  I  did  such 
a  thing  again,  she  should  be  seriously  angry  with  me.  I  made 
the  best  excuses  I  could,  and  assured  her  of  my  entire  devotion. 

I  have  often  enough  described  Leti's  violent  temper,  but  I 
cannot  help  mentioning  the  following  occurrence,  which  brought 
many  others  in  its  train.  My  rooms  were  joined  to  a  wing  of 
the  Castle  by  a  wooden  gallery,  which  was  kept  anything  but 
clean  or  tidy.  It  was  the  fault  of  Eversmann,  who  was  page 
to  the  king,  and  was  in  charge  of  the  Castle.  Of  this  man  the 
king  made  a  great  favorite.  He  was  not  happy  in  his  choice 
of  those  who  surrounded  him,  as  he  was  no  discerner  of 
character.  Eversmann  had  great  power  over  the  king.  He 
was  the  greatest  good-for-nothing  in  the  whole  land,  and  tried 
to  do  every  one  as  much  harm  as  possible,  and  mixed  himself 
up  in  all  kinds  of  low  intrigues.  Leti  had  several  times  told 
him  to  have  the  gallery  properly  cleaned,  but  with  no  result. 
She  sent  for  him,  therefore,  one  morning,  and  scolded  him 
soundly.  He  answered  her  most  insolently,  and  had  they  not 
been  separated  they  would  certainly  have  come  to  blows. 
Eversmann  vowed  vengeance  on  Lsti,  and  tried,  a  few  days 
later,  to  malign  her  to  the  king. 


46  MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

One  evening  the  king  began  to  question  me  in  my  Cate- 
chism, probably  with  the  intention  of  finding  fault  with  Leti. 
I  answered  him  quite  properly,  but  on  his  asking  me  to  say  the 
Ten  Commandments  and  the  Creed  I  got  into  a  hopeless  mess. 
And  though  he  had  been  trying  only  to  find  some  fault  for 
which  he  could  make  Leti  answerable,  the  king  now  grew  furi- 
ous with  me.  The  whole  weight  of  his  displeasure  fell  on  Leti 
and  my  master:  he  desired  the  queen  to  pay  more  attention 
to  my  education,  and  be  present  for  the  future  at  all  my  les- 
sons with  them.  My  illness,  which  had  lasted  six  months,  had 
caused  me  to  be  very  behindhand.  I  had  been  absent  three 
months  from  the  school-room,  and  then,  too,  the  great  number 
of  subjects  I  had  to  learn  by  heart  made  me  confuse  one  with 
the  other.  The  queen  sent  for  Leti  the  following  day,  and 
scolded  her  severely ;  at  the  same  time  forbidding  her,  in  the 
king's  name,  to  receive  any  more  visits  from  gentlemen,  or  even 
from  clergymen.  This  was  a  terrible  blow  to  Leti,  and  I  was 
made  to  suffer  in  consequence,  for  the  blows  were  more  fre- 
quent than  ever,  and  she  tried  in  every  way  in  her  power  to 
get  me  into  trouble. 

I  received  another  lecture  from  the  queen.  She  told  me 
that  she  would  find  means  to  bring  me  to  a  sense  of  ray  duty, 
and  that  she  should  for  the  future  treat  me  with  great  severity. 
Young  as  I  was,  I  thought  a  good  deal  about  this  strange  con- 
duct on  the  part  of  my  mother.  "  Do  I  deserve  to  be  treated 
thus,"  I  said  to  myself, "  merely  for  my  memory  being  at  fault? 
What  can  the  queen  desire  further  of  me  than  what  I  have  al- 
ready done?  She  is  the  cause  of  all  the  blows  and  all  the  mis- 
ery I  daily  endure.  By  her  desire  I  have  mistrusted  Leti,  and 
this  is  my  reward.  She  is  angry  with  me,  and  therefore  she 
takes  Leti's  part,  and  tells  me  to  do  just  the  reverse  of  what 
she  desired  before." 

The  whole  of  my  life  was  changed  from  this  moment.  My 
lessons  began  at  8  A.M.,  and  continued  without  intermission,  save 
during  meal-times,  till  ten  at  night.  In  the  afternoon  I  did  my 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRA.VINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  47 

lessons  in  the  queen's  room,  and  she  never  failed  to  find  fault 
with  and  scold  me  if  I  forgot  a  single  word  of  what  I  had  to 
repeat  by  heart. 

I  cried  all  night,  and  became  shy,  frightened,  and  melancholy. 
I  lost  all  my  spirits  and  liveliness,  and  was  scarcely  to  be  rec- 
ognized. Providence  had  ordained  that  I  should  be  trained 
from  my  earliest  youth  to  bear  the  sorrows  and  troubles  of  life 
with  patience,  and  to  reflect  on  them — reflections  which,  owing 
to  the  great  vivacity  of  my  nature,  I  otherwise  might  not  have 
made. 

This  state  of  things  lasted  three  months.  The  king  was  all 
the  time  at  Berlin,  and  as  I  was  in  disgrace  with  the  queen  she 
had  never  spoken  to  me. 

After  the  king's  departure,  when  my  mother  again  held  re- 
ceptions in  her  own  rooms,  she  took  me  aside  one  day,  and  said 
I  was  to  call  to  remembrance  what  she  had  confided  to  me  on 
a  previous  occasion,  when  she  had,  however,  forgotten  to  name 
all  those  who  were  her  enemies.  She  then  named  them  sever- 
ally to  me,  and  they  comprised  nearly  three-fourths  of  Berlin 
society.  With  those  I  was  not  to  have  any  intercourse,  and 
even  when  they  came  to  pay  their  respects  to  my  mother  I 
was  not  to  speak  with  them.  "  It  will  be  quite  sufficient,"  she 
said,  "  if  you  bow  to  them,  but  I  forbid  your  mentioning  to 
anybody  what  I  have  told  you."  I  obeyed  her  to  the  letter, 
and  was  consequently  detested  by  the  whole  town.  They  said 
I  was  proud  and  haughty,  and  that  I  had  no  idea  how  to  be- 
have myself.  My  mother's  suspicious  nature  was  her  great 
failing,  and  through  it  she  did  many  people  great  injustice. 

Leti  at  once  observed  that  it  was  the  queen  who  kept  me  at 
such  a  distance  from  her.  As  she  was  no  longer  allowed  to 
receive  any  visits  in  her  own  apartments,  she  had  not  either  the 
means  of  continuing  her  many  flirtations  and  state  intrigues, 
and  she  became  intensely  bored  with  her  mode  of  life.  That 
my  marriage  with  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt  had  been  broken 
off  was  a  great  grief  to  her.  The  Prince  of  Anhalt's  influence 


48  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

and  power  had  much  decreased  since  that  unfortunate  business 
with  Madame  von  Blaspiel.  Leti  no  longer  received  beautiful 
presents  from  him.  All  the  fair  promises  which  had  been 
made  her  had  vanished  into  thin  air,  and  she  had  lost  all  the 
means  of  satisfying  her  personal  ambition. 

She  therefore  wrote  to  "  My  Lady  "  Arlington,  and  begged 
her  to  obtain  for  her  the  formal  title  of  my  governess,  and  of 
lady  of  rank  about  my  person,  and  if  this  could  not  be  done, 
then  to  obtain  the  same  post  for  her  with  the  English  princesses. 

In  answer,  Lady  Arlington  wrote  her  a  letter  which  was  pur- 
posely written  to  be  shown  to  the  queen.  It  contained  many 
fine  promises  as  to  her  appointment  at  the  English  Court,  and 
expressed  great  surprise  that  a  person  of  such  distinguished 
merits  and  abilities  should  have  been  treated  with  so  little  con- 
sideration. She  should  make  propositions  to  the  queen,  and  if 
these  were  not  accepted  she  would  then  find  such  happiness  in 
England  that  she  would  soon  forget  any  advantages  that  might 
have  been  hers  in  her  position  at  the  Court  of  Berlin.  All 
this  was  only  a  prearranged  plan  intended  to  frighten  the 
queen,  and  was  devoid  of  all  truth. 

Leti  sent  Lady  Arlington's  letter  to  the  queen,  accompany- 
ing it  with  a  most  insolent  note  of  her  own,  in  which  she  in- 
sisted on  her  demands  being  granted  or  her  immediate  resig- 
nation being  accepted.  My  mother  was  extremely  offended  by 
this  behavior,  and  took  it  very  ill ;  yet  as  she  favored  Lady  Ar- 
lington, and  as  this  lady  had  great  influence  with  the  King  of 
England,  she  was  fearful  of  what  tricks  Leti  would  play  her 
there.  She  urged  several  persons,  therefore,  to  dissuade  her 
from  carrying  out  her  intention  ;  but  as  this  was  of  no  avail,  the 
queen  decided  to  show  the  king  the  letter  as  soon  as  ever  lie 
returned  that  day.  Before  she  did  so,  she  spoke  to  me  on  the 
subject,  and  asked  me  if  I  should  not  be  delighted  to  get  rid 
of  her.  This  idea  threw  me  into  despair,  and  I  begged  and 
entreated  my  mother  not  to  speak  to  the  king  till  the  next 
day.  This  she  promised  on  condition  that  I  should  obtain  from 


MEMOIRS    OK    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  49 

Leti  a  promise  to  desist  from  her  demands.  As  soon  as  I 
reached  my  rooms  I  spoke  to  Leti,  and  endeavored  by  soft 
words  to  induce  her  to  reconsider  her  determination  of  resign- 
ing. I  do  not  know  whether  my  tears  and  protestations  had 
any  effect,  or  whether  she  herself  was  glad  of  an  excuse  for  re- 
maining ;  anyhow,  I  succeeded  in  making  her  write  another  let- 
ter to  the  queen,  in  which  she  implored  her  not  to  show  the 
king  her  former  note.  Our  friendship  was  not,  however,  of 
long  duration.  A  fortnight  had  scarcely  passed  before  the 
blows  and  ill-treatment  began  afresh,  and  it  was  clear  that  it 
was  not  caused  by  an  outburst  of  temper,  but  by  a  real  personal 
hatred  of  myself. 

Three  months  passed  in  this  manner;  and  it  was  only  in 
March,  1721,  that  Leti  finally  determined  to  resign.  This  time 
she  was  in  real  earnest.  Lady  Arlington  advised  her  to  send 
in  her  resignation,  and  promised  her  her  protection.  Leti 
thereupon  wrote  a  third  time  to  the  queen,  demanding  to  re- 
ceive the  title  of  my  governess,  with  all  the  rights  which  be- 
longed to  it.  Among  other  things,  she  insisted  on  dining  at 
the  royal  table.  "  This  was  really  no  great  honor,"  she  wrote, 
"  as  numbers  of  '  trumpery  '  officers,  whom  I  consider  far  be- 
neath me,  are  received  at  that  table."  Madame  von  Roncoule 
was  present  when  the  queen  received  the  letter.  To  her  my 
mother  showed  it.  "  How  can  your  Majesty  hesitate  for  one 
moment  in  accepting  her  resignation  ?"  this  lady  replied,  after 
reading  the  letter.  "  Is  your  Majesty  unaware  of  the  manner 
in  which  she  has  treated  the  princess?  I  shall  be  surprised 
if  the  princess  is  not  soon  brought  to  you  with  broken  arms 
and  legs.  The  poor  child  suffers  martyrdom,  and  I  would  beg 
your  Majesty  only  to  ask  the  princess's  maids,  if  you  require 
proofs  of  what  I  have  said;  you  will  then  hear  what  scenes 
take  place  daily."  The  queen  at  once  sent  for  my  maids,  who 
excused  themselves  for  not  having  sooner  mentioned  these  facts 
to  her ;  but  they  had  been  so  threatened  by  Leti  that  they  had 
not  dared  to  do  so. 
4 


50  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

This  was  quite  sufficient  for  the  queen,  and  she  determined 
to  speak  to  the  king  as  soon  as  ever  he  returned  to  Berlin^ 
Fearing  that  I  should  try  to  deter  her,  she  said  nothing  to  me 
about  her  intention. 

My  father  came  home  to  Berlin  at  the  beginning  of  April, 
and  the  queen  lost  no  time  in  communicating  Leti's  letter  to 
him.  He  was  so  incensed  at  its  insolent  tone  and  contents 
that  he  would,  had  not  the  queen  begged  of  him  not  to  do  GO, 
sent  her  then  and  there  to  Spandau.  She,  however,  received 
orders  to  quit  the  Court  without  again  seeing  the  king. 

My  parents  now  took  most  anxiously  into  consideration  to 
whom  they  were  to  intrust  my  education.  The  king  chose  a 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  the  queen's  second  lady-in-wait- 
ing. She  had  been  with  the  late  queen,  and  served  her  de- 
votedly till  she  died,  and  was  a  highly  trustworthy  person. 
With  this  enough  has  been  said  about  her,  as  these  memoirs 
will  show  how  attached  and  faithful  she  was  through  good  and 
evil  times.  She  is  still  with  me,  and  her  devotion  remains 
unchanged.  The  queen  did  not  approve  of  the  king's  choice, 
as  she  suspected  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  of  having  been 
mixed  up  in  Gramkow's  conspiracy  against  Madame  von  Blas- 
piel.  Whom  she  wished  to  appoint  instead  I  have  never  been 
able  to  learn,  but  in  the  end  she  gave  way  to  the  king's  wishes. 

I  knew  nothing  of  all  this,  as  I  was  not  present  during  the 
conversation ;  but  my  brother  was  in  the  room  at  the  time,  and 
presently  told  ine  all  about  it.  I  was  much  distressed  at  the 
news — so  much  so  that  the  queen,  on  returning  to  my  room, 
found  me  in  tears.  "Well,"  she  said,  "is  it  such  a  misfortune 
to  part  from  Leti?  I  should  have  thought  you  had  received 
blows  enough  from  her !" 

I  threw  myself  at  her  feet,  and  entreated  her  to  reverse  her 
decision.  It  was,  however,  all  in  vain,  and  she  told  me  I  must 
make  up  my  mind  to  be  satisfied  with  things  as  they  were. 

My  parents  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  in  persuading  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld  to  accept  the  office  of  governess;  but  on 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGKAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH.  51 

the  king's  insisting  she  should  do  so,  it  was  finally  arranged,  and 
she  entered  on  her  new  duties  on  the  Wednesday  in  Easter-week. 

L6ti's  fate  grieved  me  much.  I  did  all  I  could  to  prove  my 
friendship  for  her.  I  most  generously  gave  her  all  my  dresses ; 
and  these,  as  well  as  the  many  costly  presents  she  had  at  differ- 
ent times  received  from  the  queen,  amounted  in  value  to  five 
thousand  thalers.  The  queen  was  obliged  to  give  me  quite  a 
new  wardrobe  after  Leti's  departure. 

I  soon  grew  accustomed  to  my  new  governess.  Mademoiselle 
von  Sonnsfeld  had  represented  to  the  queen  that  I  must  be 
treated  with  gentleness,  and  encouraged  by  every  means;  I  had 
suffered  so  much  that  I  needed  this.  As  the  king  backed  her 
up  in  all  she  said,  the  queen  left  her  to  do  what  she  thought 
right,  and  I  began  by  degrees  to  improve.  She  taught  me 
what  real  feeling  was.  I  now  did  my  lessons  with  delight,  and 
began  to  take  an  interest  in  literature  and  reading,  which  soon 
became  my  favorite  occupation.  I  had  an  English  and  an  Ital- 
ian master  added  to  the  others.  I  was  well  versed  in  ancient 
and  modern  history,  geography,  and  the  first  principles  of  phi- 
losophy ;  I  understood  music  thoroughly,  and  I  made  great 
progress  with  my  studies. 

During  the  course  of  this  year  nothing  of  importance  oc- 
curred, nor  during  the  first  half  of  the  next  year,  1722,  beyond 
that  my  mother  gave  birth  to  another  son,  who  was  named 
Augustus  William. 

Among  the  household  of  the  late  queen,  my  grandmother, 
was  a  lady  named  Polnitz.  She  had  been  lady-in-waiting,  and 
was  a  great  favorite  with  the  queen.  This  she  had  not  de- 
served ;  she  was  clever  and  well  read,  but  untrustworthy,  and 
had  as  sharp  and  ill-natured  a  tongue  as  it  is  possible  to  have. 
Since  the  queen's  death  she  had  lived  on  a  pension,  which  the 
King  of  England  paid  in  remembrance  of  his  sister.  Polnitz 
came  about  this  time  to  Berlin  to  visit  her  family,  who  lived 
there.  But  before  I  say  more  on  this  subject,  I  must  give  a 
brief  description  of  the  English  Court, 


52  MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

King  George  I.  was  very  proud  of  being  imbued  with  the 
ideas  of  the  Roman  emperors,  and  of  possessing  great  powers^ 
of  resolution ;  but  these,  unfortunately,  were  not  based  on 
sound  principles,  and  became,  therefore,  instead  of  virtues,  great 
faults.  He  was  very  cold-blooded,  and  never  put  himself  out. 
He  was  very  fair  and  just,  but  niggardly  to  a  degree.  He  was 
moderately  clever,  with  a  chilling  manner.  He  spoke  very  lit- 
tle, and  gave  very  abrupt  answers.  He  was  entirely  in  the 
power  of  his  favorite  and  his  mistress.  This  latter  belonged  to 
the  family  of  the  Schulenburgs. 

After  the  king  ascended  the  throne  of  England  she  received 
the  title  of  Duchess  of  Kendal,  and  in  Germany  that  of  Prin- 
cess of  Eberstein.  The  Princess  of  Wales*  was  most  cul- 
tivated and  well  fitted  for  the  management  of  affairs.  Her 
pleasant,  courteous  manner  at  first  gained  her  all  hearts ;  but 
on  nearer  acquaintance  she  proved  to  be  false,  proud,  and  ambi- 
tious. Her  character  resembled  that  of  Agrippina,f  and  she 
might  well  have  exclaimed  with  that  princess,  "  Let  everything 
perish,  but  let  me  remain  sovereign."  The  Prince  of  Wales 
was,  like  his  father,  no  great  genius.  He  had  a  violent  temper, 
was  vivacious,  and  revengeful  as  well  as  avaricious  and  proud. 
The  Duchess  of  Kendal  was  a  good  woman.  She  had  no  great 
faults  or  great  virtues.  Most  people  believed  she  was  married 
to  the  king.  Her  one  great  anxiety  was  to  retain  her  influence 
over  him,  and  keep  at  a  distance  all  those  who  were  opposed  to 
her  or  could  interfere  with  her. 

My  Lady  Arlington  was  the  illegitimate  daughter  of  the  late 
Elector  of  Hanover  and  the  Countess  Platen,  and,  therefore,  a 
step-sister  of  King  George.  She  was  very  clever,  but  used  her 
cleverness  to  no  good  purpose,  and  was  a  slave  to  evil  ways. 
These  three  women,  however  much  they  hated  one  another, 
were  agreed  on  one  point,  viz.,  to  prevent  the  Duke  of  Glouces- 

*  Caroline  of  Anspach. 

|   lUii^litcr  of  Gormauicus  Caesar,  and  mother  of  the  Emperor  Nero. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH.  53 

ter's  marriage  with  any  princess  of  a  great  family  or  possess- 
ing great  intelligence.  As  they  had  heard  about  me,  and  knew 
me  to  be  very  clever,  they  took  a  dislike  to  me ;  the  more  so 
as  they  were  avowed  enemies  of  my  mother,  who  had  on  sev- 
eral occasions  not  treated  them  over  wisely. 

But  to  return  to  Polnitz.  She  was  a  creature  of  my  Lady 
Arlington's.  As  King  George  was  to  come  to  Germany  the 
following  year,  Lady  Arlington  sent  Polnitz  to  Berlin  to  play 
her  game  there  for  her.  And  she  could  not  have  chosen  a 
better  tool !  The  queen  received  her  very  graciously  and  pre- 
sented her  to  me.  She  had  scarcely  looked  at  me  before  she 
began  to  examine  me  from  head  to  foot;  then,  turning  to  the 
queen,  she  exclaimed,  "  Good  gracious  me,  your  Majesty,  what 
a  sorry  appearance  the  princess  presents !  She  holds  herself  so 
badly,  and  is  so  stout  for  a  young  lady  of  her  age !" 

I  was  extremely  put  out  at  this  pleasant  beginning — so  much 
so  that  I  was  unable  to  say  a  word.  The  queen  herself  was 
much  taken  aback,  but  answered,  quietly,  "  I  do  not  pretend  to 
dispute  your  remarks  as  to  her  presenting  a  sorry  appearance ; 
but  as  to  her  figure  it  is  faultless,  and  she  will  fine  down  as 
she  grows  taller.  If  you  talk  to  her,  you  will  find  that  she  is 
not  what  you  think."  Upon  this  Polnitz  took  me  aside  and 
began  to  ask  me  a  hundred  questions,  fit  for  a  child  of  four 
years  old,  but  certainly  not  for  one  of  my  age.  This  aggra- 
vated me,  so  I  determined  not  to  answer  her  any  more.  My 
mother  now  heaped  reproaches  on  me  for  my  behavior,  and 
this  she  continued  to  do  as  long  as  Polnitz  was  in  Berlin. 
This  lady  sought  in  every  way  in  her  power  to  do  me  injury. 
On  one  occasion,  when  the  conversation  turned  on  people's 
powers  of  memory,  my  mother  remarked  that  I  had  a  wonder- 
ful power  of  remembering  things,  whereupon  Polnitz  smiled  in 
a  most  disdainful  manner,  as  much  as  to  say  that  she  did  not 
believe  a  word  of  it.  My  mother  most  unwillingly  proposed 
to  test  my  memory  by  making  me  learn  one  hundred  and  fifty 
verses  by  heart  in  two  hours.  Polnitz  said  that  might  be  done, 


54  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   EAIREUTH. 

but  that  she  was  ready  to  bet  that  I  would  not  remember  any- 
thing of  what  she  would  write  down  for  me  to  learn.  She 
then  wrote  down  fifty  ridiculous  names  of  her  own  invention, 
putting  a  number  to  each ;  these  she  read  twice  over  to  me, 
mentioning  each  number,  and  I  had  then  to  repeat  them  by 
heart  to  her.  The  first  time  it  succeeded  quite  well.  She  then 
insisted  on  trying  it  over  again ;  but  this  time  she  asked  me 
to  say  the  names  out  of  their  proper  order,  only  mentioning 
the  numbers  to  me.  This  too  succeeded  admirably,  to  her 
great  disgust.  I  had  never  before  strained  my  memory  to  such 
a  degree,  but  nevertheless  Polnitz  did  not  deign  to  say  one 
word  in  approval. 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  had  been  lady-in-waiting 
with  her  in  former  years,  and  who  knew  how  spiteful  she  was, 
comforted  me  as  much  as  she  could.  She  even  spoke  to  the 
queen  about  it,  and  assured  her  Polnitz  had  tried  on  every  oc- 
casion to  find  fault  with  all  I  did,  and  that  she  was  sure  she 
had  some  private  motive  in  doing  so. 

Soon  after  Polnitz  had  taken  her  departure,  another  Hano- 
verian lady,  a  sister  of  Madame  von  Konnken,  came  to  Berlin. 
Her  name  was  Brunow,  and  she  had  formerly  been  governess  to 
the  queen.  She  was  a  good-natured  but  most  foolish  creature. 

She  asked  her  sister  many  questions  about  me ;  and  this  lady, 
who  was  very  fond  of  me,  praised  me  more  than  I  really  de- 
served. Madame  von  Brunow  seemed  very  much  surprised, 
and  remarked  that  surely  between  sisters  one  might  speak  the 
truth.  On  Madame  von  Konnken  asking  what  she  meant  by 
this,  she  replied,  "  I  mean  that  your  princess  is  a  perfect  devil ; 
that  she  beats  her  servants  daily  ;  that  she  is  proud  and  haugh- 
ty, and  is,  besides,  so  deformed  that  she  is  humped  before  and 
behind !"  Madame  von  Konnken  demanded  to  know  on  whose 
authority  she  said  such  things,  adding  that  it  was  quite  imma- 
terial, as  it  could  be  contradicted  at  any  moment.  A  few  days 
after  this  conversation  Madame  von  Brunow  came  to  see  me, 
and  was  much  surprised  to  find  me  so  totally  different  from 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.  55 

what  she  had  expected.  Still,  she  would  not  be  satisfied  till 
she  had  seen  me  without  my  clothes,  and  had  seen  with  her 
own  eyes  that  I  was  not  hump-backed.  I  had  to  undergo  this 
same  treatment  at  the  hands  of  several  other  ladies  who  came 
from  Hanover,  and  was  perfectly  furious  at  it. 

The  year  1723  was  much  more  interesting.  The  King  of 
England  came  to  Hanover,  accompanied  by  the  Duchess  of 
Kendal  and  Lady  Arlington.  Leti  was  in  my  lady's  suite,  as 
she  was  quite  dependent  on  her.  My  father,  who  was  at  that 
time  most  anxious  for  my  marriage  with  the  Duke  of  Glouces- 
ter, went  to  Hanover  soon  after  the  king's  arrival  there.  They 
got  on  extremely  well  together  during  the  whole  of  the  visit. 
After  my  father's  return,  my  mother  also  went  to  Hanover, 
intrusted  by  him  with  secret  powers  empowering  her  to  con- 
clude the  marriage  treaties  of  my  brother  and  myself.  The 
queen  found  the  king,  her  father,  much  inclined  to  consent  to 
my  brother's  marriage,  but  not  favorable  to  a  double  marriage. 
He  spoke  in  such  a  manner  of  me  as  to  show  clearly  that  he 
was  not  sure  that  my  character  and  temper  would  suit  the  duke, 
his  grandson.  The  queen,  in  despair  at  this  answer,  turned  to 
the  Duchess  of  Kendal,  enlisting  her  kind  interest  and  help. 
She  succeeded  so  well  in  this  that  the  duchess  confided  to  her 
that  the  unfavorable  reports  about  me  which  had  reached  the 
king  were  the  cause  of  his  acting  in  this  manner.  After  much 
pressing  on  my  mother's  part,  the  duchess  told  her  that  Leti 
had  represented  me  in  such  a  light  that  it  was  enough  to  deter 
any  man  from  marrying  me.  She  had  said  that  I  was  laide  a 
faire  peur  and  deformed  ;  that  I  was  as  bad  as  I  was  ugly,  and 
that  I  was  so  violent  that  my  violence  often  caused  me  to  have 
epileptic  fits. 

"  Your  Majesty  can  well  understand,"  the  duchess  added, 
"  that  the  king  would  not  give  his  consent  to  the  marriage — 
the  more  so  as  Polnitz  had  fully  confirmed  all  the  reports." 

The  queen  was  unable  to  conceal  her  anger  at  all  this.  She 
told  the  whole  truth  about  Leti  and  her  behavior,  and  was  so 


56  MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

well  supported  by  her  suite  that  she  succeeded  in  doing  away 
with  the  bad  impression  that  had  been  created  of  me.  The 
duchess  now  determined  she  would  herself  put  an  end  to  these 
calumnies.  She  suggested  to  the  queen  that  the  King  of  Eng- 
land should  be  invited  to  Berlin,  that  he  might  convince  him- 
self of  the  utter  untruth  of  these  stories.  This  plan  succeeded, 
and  the  king's  visit  to  Berlin  was  fixed  for  the  month  of  Oc- 
tober. 

The  queen  returned  triumphant,  and  was  very  well  received 
by  my  father,  who  was  overjoyed  at  the  near  prospect  of  see- 
ing his  wishes  realized.  Happiness  reigned  everywhere.  I 
alone  was  sad  and  depressed,  for  my  mother  scolded  me  inces- 
santly, and  insisted  that  I  had  given  cause  for  these  cruel  in- 
ventions of  Leti's.  I  was  very  stout,  and  ray  figure  was  not 
yet  formed,  but  to  make  me  slighter  my  mother  had  me  laced 
so  tight  that  I  could  neither  eat  nor  drink.  Whatever  I  did 
she  was  sure  to  tell  me  that  my  manners  would  not  please  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester.  "  Your  behavior  will  not  win  him  !"  I 
would  rather  a  thousand  times  have  endured  Leti's  blows  than 
have  listened  to  these  speeches,  which  gave  me  a  perfect  horror 
of  the  marriage.  I  spoke  about  it  one  day  to  my  governess. 
"I  am  in  despair,"  I  said,  "for  I  cannot  please  the  queen. 
She  finds  fault  with  everything  I  do,  and  I  cannot  satisfy  her. 
I  bow  to  her  wishes  at  all  times,  and  it  is  very  hard  to  have 
to  hear  constantly  that  this  and  that  will  not  please  the  Duke 
of  Gloucester.  I  was  not  aware  that  ladies  had  to  study  the 
tempers  and  likings  of  gentlemen  before  they  ever  were  mar- 
ried to  them,  and  I  cannot  understand  all  the  fuss  the  queen 
makes  about  this  marriage.  I  consider  myself  every  bit  as 
good  as  the  Duke  of  Gloucester ;  and  if  the  queen  really  wishes 
my  happiness,  she  had  best  consult  the  wishes  of  my  heart  as 
well  as  those  of  the  duke.  I  do  not  even  know  him,  and  have 
never  seen  him,  and  who  can  say  that  when  I  do  I  shall  care 
for  him  ?  Tell  all  this  to  the  queen,  and  say  that  I  shall  al- 
ways show  myself  obedient  in  every  respect,  but  that  I  shall 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  57 

never  do  anything  merely  to  please  her  nephew."  Mademoi- 
selle von  Sonnsfeld  was  much  surprised  at  my  speech.  She  did 
not  approve  of  the  way  in  which  my  mother  treated  me,  but 
could  not  prevent  it.  She  promised  me,  nevertheless,  to  speak 
to  her,  and  her  representations  resulted  in  my  being  for  some 
time  left  in  peace. 

Shortly  afterwards  a  personage  belonging  to  the  duke's 
court  came  to  Berlin.  The  queen  was  at  this  time  holding 
receptions  in  her  own  apartments ;  and  this  gentleman,  who 
was  present  at  one  of  them,  brought  me  very  civil  messages 
from  his  master.  I  merely  acknowledged  them  by  bowing  to 
him,  and  then  I  put  some  questions  to  him  respecting  the 
Hanoverian  Court.  The  queen  had  been  watching  this  in- 
terview with  the  greatest  attention ;  and  that  same  evening 
I  had  a  tremendous  scene  with  her,  for  she  reproached  me 
bitterly  for  having  received  the  duke's  messages  so  coldly. 
I  went  in  despair  to  my  own  room,  mentally  abusing  the  duke 
and  the  marriage,  and  determined  that  my  consent  should  not 
be  so  easily  gained. 

The  arrival  of  the  King  of  England  was  now  close  at  hand. 

We  went  to  Charlottenburg  on  the  6th  of  October;  and  on 
the  7th,  in  the  evening,  King  George  arrived  there.  The  whole 
Court  was  assembled,  and  the  king  and  queen  and  all  the 
princes  received  him  as  he  alighted  from  his  carriage.  After 
they  had  welcomed  him,  I  was  presented  to  him.  He  embraced 
me,  and  said  nothing  further  than  "  She  is  very  tall ;  how  old 
is  she?"  Then  he  gave  his  hand  to  the  queen,  who  led  him  to 
her  room,  all  the  princes  following.  No  sooner  had  he  reached 
her  room  than  he  took  a  candle,  which  he  held  under  my  nose, 
and  looked  at  me  from  top  to  toe.  I  can  never  describe  the 
state  of  agitation  I  was  in.  I  turned  red  and  pale  by  turns ; 
and  all  the  time  he  never  uttered  one  word.  My  brother,  on  the 
other  hand,  he  treated  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  talked  a 
long  time  with  him,  and  this  gave  me  time  to  recover  myself. 

My  mother  and  I  then  shortly  left  this  room,  and  all  the 


58  MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF   BAIREtfTH. 

English  gentlemen  in  the  king's  suite  were  presented  to  her. 
After  having  spoken  to  them  for  some  time  she  left  me  quite 
alone  among  them,  and  though  I  felt  terribly  shy  at  being  by 
myself  with  so  many  gentlemen  I  got  on  quite  well.  I  had  an 
English  conversation  with  my  Lords  Carteret  and  Townsend, 
the  two  Secretaries  of  State.  I  spoke  their  language  as  fluent- 
ly as  my  own  mother  -  tongue.  The  queen  let  me  converse 
with  them  for  more  than  an  hour,  and  then  came  and  fetched 
me  away.  She  was  extremely  pleased  at  the  praises  bestowed 
on  me  by  these  gentlemen.  The  English  gentlemen  said  I  had 
the  manners  and  bearing  of  an  Englishwoman  ;  and,  as  this 
nation  considers  itself  far  above  any  other,  this  was  great 
praise. 

The  King  of  England  never  unbent  in  the  least,  but  remained 
cold  and  stern.  He  never  spoke  to  any  lady,  but  merely  bowed. 
After  I  left  the  room  he  asked  my  governess  if  I  were  always 
so  serious  and  melancholy.  This  question  and  his  reception  of 
me  frightened  me  so  much  that  I  could  never  muster  up  courage 
to  speak  to  him  all  the  time  he  was  at  Berlin. 

At  last  we  went  to  dinner.  The  queen  kept  the  conversa- 
tion going.  We  had  already  sat  for  two  hours  at  table  when 
Lord  Townsend  asked  me  to  beg  my  mother  to  get  up  from 
the  dinner-table,  as  the  King  of  England  was  not  feeling  well. 
She  thereupon  made  some  excuse,  saying  he  must  be  tired,  and 
suggested  to  him  that  dinner  was  over.  He,  however,  several 
times  declared  he  was  not  the  least  tired,  and,  to  prevent  further 
argument  on  the  subject,  she  laid  down  her  napkin.and  got  up 
from  her  chair.  She  had  no  sooner  done  so  than  the  kino- 
began  to  stagger.  My  father  rushed  forward  to  help  him,  and 
several  persons  came  to  his  aid  and  held  him  up  for  a  while, 
when  he  suddenly  gave  way  altogether,  and  had  he  not  been 
supported  he  would  have  had  a  dreadful  fall.  Jlis  wig  lay  ou 
one  side  and  his  hat  on  the  other,  and  they  had  to  lay  him 
down  on  the  floor,  where  he  remained  a  whole  hour  before  re- 
gaining consciousness.  Every  one  thought  he  had  had  a  paralytic 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTEI.  59 

stroke.  The  remedies  used  had  the  desired  effect,  and  by  de- 
grees he  recovered.  He  was  entreated  to  go  to  bed,  but  would 
not  hear  of  it  till  he  had  accompanied  my  mother  back  to  her 
apartments. 

The  rest  of  his  visit  was  celebrated  by  fetes,  balls,  etc.  Daily 
conferences  took  place  about  the  treaty  for  the  double  marriage, 
and  on  the  12th  of  the  same  month  it  was  signed.  The  King 
of  England  left  on  the  13th.  My  father  and  mother  were  to 
follow  him  to  Ghor,  a  shooting-castle  near  Hanover;  but  my 
mother  had,  for  the  last  seven  months,  been  in  very  bad  health. 
Her  condition  was  a  strange  one,  and  none  of  the  doctors  knew 
what  was  really  the  matter.  However,  the  evening  before  the 
king's  departure  for  Ghor,  which  had  been  fixed  for  the  morn- 
ing of  the  8th  of  November,  the  queen  was  suddenly  taken  ill, 
and  before  proper  help  could  be  obtained  gave  birth  to  a 
princess,  there  being  no  one  with  her  besides  the  king  and  her 
maid.  There  was  no  cradle  ready,  no  baby -clothes.  There 
never  reigned  such  confusion  or  consternation  as  during  that 
night.  Soon  after  the  birth  of  the  child  I  was  sent  for  by  the 
king,  and  found  him  in  high  spirits,  delighted  at  having  offi- 
ciated as  both  doctor  and  nurse. 

My  brother,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  the  Princess  Amelia  of 
England,  and  I  stood  sponsors  to  the  child,  who  received  the 
names  Anna  Maria. 

The  king  left  Berlin  on  the  following  day.  Grumkow,  who 
had  made  his  peace  with  the  King  of  England,  accompanied 
him.  My  father  was  absent  for  a  fortnight  at  Ghor,  and  we 
hoped  to  see  him  return  in  excellent  humor;  but  such  was  not 
the  case.  He  sent  for  us  as  soon  as  he  arrived,  without  ever  going 
near  the  queen's  room,  and  received  us  most  kindly,  but  never 
asked  after  our  mother.  He  dined  with  us  in  the  evening,  pass- 
ing through  her  room  without  saying  a  word  to  her.  At  dinner 
he  was  very  silent  and  thoughtful,  and  his  whole  manner  was 
so  strange  that  it  filled  us  all  with  apprehension.  The  queen 
was  greatly  upset,  as  after  dinner  he  again  passed  through  her 


60  MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

room  without  taking  any  notice  of  her.  She  called  him  back 
to  her  bedside  in  the  ter.dcrest  manner  ;  but  the  only  answer  she 
received  was  a  perfect  flood  of  abuse,  accusations,  and  insults 
with  respect  to  the  birth  of  this  child,  ending  with  a  charge  of 
having  been  unfaithful  to  him.  She  had  not  expected  such 
treatment;  for  her  conduct  was  at  all  times  most  exemplary,  so 
that  even  the  worst  slander  could  not  touch  her.  The  answers 
she  gave  the  king  only  enraged  him  more,  and  had  he  not  been 
compelled  by  the  mistress  of  the  robes  to  leave  the  room  there 
is  no  knowing  what  he  might  have  done.  The  next  morning 
he  instituted  an  inquiry  as  to  the  queen's  conduct,  but  one  and 
all  took  her  part  so  vehemently  that  his  suspicions  (which  we 
afterwards  found  had  been  aroused  through  Grumkow)  were  set 
entirely  at  rest.  He  thereupon  asked  the  queen's  forgiveness, 
and  peace  was  re-established. 

Nothing  of  interest  took  place  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1724  till  the  month  of  June,  when  the  relations  between  the 
English  and  Prussian  Courts  began  to  be  less  friendly.  My 
father's  greatest  passion  and  amusement  consisted  first  in  hoard- 
ing, up  money,  and  then  in  perfecting  his  regiment  at  Potsdam, 
of  which  he  was  colonel.  This  regiment  was  composed  of 
nothing  but  giants,  the  smallest  of  the  men  being  six  feet. 
They  were  sought  for  all  over  the  world,  and  the  recruiting 
sergeants  took  them  by  force  wherever  they  found  them.  Up 
to  this  time  the  King  of  England  had  constantly  sent  my  fa- 
ther such  recruits;  but  the  Hanoverian  Government,  which  had 
never  been  friendly  to  the  House  of  Brandenburg,  refused  to 
obey  their  king's  orders  any  longer,  hoping  by  this  means  to 
create  a  bad  feeling  between  the  two  Courts.  Some  Prussian 
officers  were  bold  enough  to  take  several  men  by  force  from 
Hanoverian  soil.  This  caused  a  great  disturbance.  The  Hano- 
verians demanded  satisfaction ;  but  as  the  king  could  not  make 
up  his  mind  to  send  the  men  back  again,  the  relations  between 
the  two  sovereigns  became  very  strained,  and  ended,  as  I  shrill 
ahow  later  on,  in  open  hatred. 


MEMOIKS    OF   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF    BAIKEUTH.  61 

About  this  time,  too,  the  devil's  kingdom  began  to  be  less 
peaceful.  The  story  was  ridiculous  enough  in  itself,  and  would 
have  made  us  laugh,  had  it  not  caused  us  so  much  sorrow.  Till 
now  Grumkow  and  the  Prince  of  Anhalt  had  been  firm  friends. 
The  latter  had  entirely  lost  all  his  influence  with  the  king,  and 
was  tolerated  by  him  only  on  account  of  his  great  knowledge 
and  experience  in  military  matters.  The  former  retained  the 
king's  favor.  As  he  had  not  been  able  to  prevent  the  marriage 
treaty  and  the  project  of  a  double  marriage  with  England,  he 
tried  to  bring  them  to  a  favorable  termination,  thereby  hoping 
to  be  overwhelmed  with  gratitude  and  presents.  He  had  actu- 
ally succeeded  in  gaining  the  queen's  favor  to  a  certain  extent. 
But  this  was  all  a  mere  farce.  The  Prince  of  Anhalt  had  been 
godfather  to  one  of  Grumkow's  daughters,  and  this  last  said 
that  the  prince  had  promised  his  godchild  three  thousand  tha- 
lers  whenever  she  married.  A  suitable  offer  had  just  been  made 
the  young  lady,  and  Grumkow  wrote  to  the  prince  to  remind 
him  of  his  promise,  which  he,  however,  denied  ever  having 
made.  A  very  warm  correspondence  now  ensued,  which  ended 
in  each  accusing  the  other  of  his  past  conduct. 

This  all  soon  reached  the  king's  ears.  He  tried  by  every 
means  in  his  power  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation.  The  Prince 
of  Anhalt  would,  however,  hear  of  no  compromise.  Nothing 
remained  now  but  that  a  duel  should  put  an  end  to  this  un- 
pleasant affair. 

In  spite  of  all  the  descriptions  I  have  given  in  these  memoirs 
of  Grumkow's  character,  I  have  always  forgotten  to  mention 
his  being  as  great  a  coward  as  ever  lived.  He  gave  proof  of 
his  great  valor  at  the  battle  of  Malplaquet,  where  he  threw  him- 
self into  a  ditch,  saying  he  had  sprained  his  leg,  and  remained 
lying  there  during  the  whole  time  the  battle  lasted.  During 
the  Stralsund  campaign  the  poor  man  was  so  ill  that,  to  every- 
body's regret,  he  was  not  able  to  take  to  another  ditch !  He 
therefore  had  no  great  desire  to  draw  his  sword ;  and,  as  a  duel 
is  forbidden  by  God's  laws  as  well  as  by  man's,  he  hoped  to  reap 


62  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGRAV1NE    OF    BA1REUTII. 

the  reward  of  a  heavenly  crown,  and  allowed  every  insult  to  be 
heaped  upon  him.  He  also  took  all  possible  steps  to  effect  a 
reconciliation  with  the  Prince  of  Anhalt.  This  latter,  who  knew 
with  what  a  coward  he  was  dealing,  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  every 
entreaty.  Grumkow  had,  therefore,  no  other  resource  left  him 
but  to  accept  the  prince's  challenge.  He  chose  his  great  friend, 
General  von  Seckendorf,  as  his  second.  Nothing  was  more  ri- 
diculous than  the  letters  this  person  wrote  him  to  give  him 
fresh  courage.  The  king  now  interposed,  and  summoned  a 
council  of  war  at  Berlin,  composed  of  all  the  generals  and  colo- 
nels in  the  army,  and  these  were  to  decide  the  dispute.  The 
greater  part  of  the  generals  were  devoted  to  the  queen,  who 
managed  so  cleverly  that  the  affair  was  settled  in  Grumkow's 
favor.  The  Prince  of  Anhalt  returned  to  Dessau,  and  Grum- 
kow was,  for  form's  sake,  put  under  arrest  for  several  days  in 
his  own  house.  As  soon  as  he  was  set  at  liberty,  the  king,  who 
had  managed  the  whole  affair,  advised  him  to  fight  the  duel. 
They  therefore  drew  their  swords,  and  Grumkow  threw  himself 
on  his  knees  before  the  Prince  of  Anhalt,  imploring  him  to  re- 
instate him  in  his  favor,  and  to  forget  all  that  had  passed.  The 
only  answer  he  received  was  that  the  prince  turned  his  back 
upon  him.  From  that  time  forward  they  were  sworn  enemies, 
and  their  hatred  of  each  other  ceased  only  at  Grumkow's  death. 
The  queen  made  a  grave  mistake  in  protecting  Grurnkow.  The 
Prince  of  Anhalt  would  have  been  far  more  useful  to  her,  for 
he  was  of  a  generous  disposition  and  a  very  faithful  friend.  He 
had  by  far  the  better  nature  of  the  two,  and  had  wonderfully 
improved.  Many  people  lay  the  blame  of  his  evil  conduct  at 
Grumkow's  door,  as  he  had  urged  him  on  by  his  abominable 
advice. 

I  shall  now  return  to  the  account  of  my  own  life,  which  t 
have  abandoned  for  a  few  moments  to  mention  the  foregoing 
occurrence.  The  King  of  England  came  again  to  Germany  in 
the  course  of  this  year.  My  father,  who  flattered  himself  that 
lie  should  get  my  marriage  settled  and  celebrated,  went  to  I  Ian- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.  63 

over,  where  lie  was  well  received.  When  he  returned  he  sent 
my  mother  there  to  try  her  hand  at  settling  the  last  details  of 
tliis  much-longed-for  alliance.  I  was  only  fifteen,  and  the  Duke 
of  Gloucester  seventeen.  Our  great  youth  was  put  forward,  in 
the  first  instance,  as  a  reason  for  postponing  the  marriage ;  then, 
too,  Parliament  had  not  been  consulted  about  it.  To  soften 
the  blow  of  his  refusal  to  the  marriage,  the  King  of  England 
assured  my  mother  of  his  willingness  to  have  the  marriage  cele- 
brated during  his  next  visit  to  Germany.  The  queen  had  had 
only  six  weeks'  leave  of  absence  from  Berlin,  but  as  her  father 
treated  her  with  much  affection  and  kindness  she  still  hoped  to 
see  the  object  of  her  visit  realized.  She  therefore  begged  my 
father  to  let  her  remain  on  longer,  assuring  him  that  she  should 
in  time  be  able  to  settle  matters.  This  prospect  induced  the 
king  to  give  her  permission  to  continue  her  stay  in  Hanover. 

During  my  mother's  absence  I  remained  at  Berlin,  and  in 
great  favor  with  the  king.  Every  afternoon  I  talked  with  him, 
of  an  evening  we  dined  together.  He  showed  me  much  confi- 
dence, and  even  talked  to  me  about  affairs.  In  order  to  distin- 
guish me  still  more,  he  ordered  receptions  to  be  held,  at  which 
he  wished  me  to  be  treated  like  the  queen.  My  sisters'  gov- 
ernesses were  desired  to  bring  me  a  daily  report,  and  not  to  do 
anything  without  my  knowledge.  I  in  no  way  abused  all  the 
honors  that  were  shown  me.  Young  as  I  was,  I  could  quite 
well  have  directed  my  sisters'  education.  I  was  as  reasonable 
as  anybody  of  forty  might  have  been. 

I  had  been  for  several  years  troubled  with  very  bad  head- 
aches, and,  though  the  pain  often  caused  me  to  faint,  I  was 
never  allowed  to  keep  my  room.  The  queen  was  terribly  hard 
about  such  things.  Indeed,  though  I  was  suffering  tortures,  I 
had  to  be  as  cheerful  and  bright  as  if  nothing  were  the  matter 
with  me.  She  had  given  me  such  very  strict  injunctions  on 
this  subject  before  she  left  home  that  I  was  obliged  to  control 
myself  to  the  utmost  degree  during  the  whole  time  she  was  ab- 
sent. However,  the  day  before  her  return  I  was  suddenly 


64  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

taken  ill  in  the  night  with  violent  fever,  headache,  and  deliri- 
um, so  that  the  doctors  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  I  screamed 
dreadfully,  and  it  took  six  people  to  hold  me  down  in  bed. 
Messengers  were  at  once  sent  off  to  inform  the  king  and  queen 
of  my  condition. 

The  queen  arrived  at  Berlin  in  the  evening.  She  had  not 
expected  to  find  me  so  ill,  for  my  life  was  despaired  of.  At 
length  an  abscess  broke  in  my  head,  which  discharged  through 
the  ear;  in  consequence  of  which  the  fever  and  pain  decreased, 
and  in  a  few  days  I  was  pronounced  out  of  danger.  My  father 
arrived  at  Berlin  three  days  after  the  queen,  and  came  at  once 
to  see  me.  He  was  terribly  upset,  and  cried  when  he  saw  the 
deplorable  condition  I  was  in.  On  the  other  hand,  he  would 
not  see  the  queen,  and  had  all  the  doors  locked  that  communi- 
cated with  her  rooms,  lie  was  extremely  angry  with  her  on 
account  of  her  long  and  useless  visit  to  Hanover,  and  also  be- 
cause she  had  flattered  him  that  she  would  bring  about  the 
speedy  realization  of  his  plans. 

My  mother  had  a  very  jealous  nature.  The  manner  in  which 
my  father  noticed  me  made  her  furious  with  me.  One  of  her 
ladies,  the  daughter  of  Countess  Finkenstein — whom  I  shall  al- 
ways designate  as  the  Countess  Amelie,  to  distinguish  her  from 
her  mother — stirred  my  mother's  anger  up  against  me.  This 
lady  was  in  love  with  one  of  the  king's  ministers,  who  was  am- 
bassador in  England.  He  was  named  Wallenrodt,  and  was  a 
complete  buffoon.  She  had  got  her  plan  all  cut  and  dried. 
Looking  on  my  marriage  as  a  certainty,  she  intended  to  ingra- 
tiate herself  with  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  so  as  to  obtain  the 
post  of  mistress  of  the  robes  in  my  household.  To  attain  this 
object  it  was  necessary  to  get  rid  of  my  present  lady-in-waiting, 
and  accordingly  to  calumniate  her  to  my  mother,  so  as  to  bring 
about  a  rupture.  As  Countess  Amelie  was  in  such  high  favor 
with  the  queen,  and  ruled  her  completely,  this  was  easily  done. 
I  had  liked  this  girl  very  much,  and  it  was  to  some  extent  my 
fault  that  she  was  such  a  favorite.  But  she  rewarded  me  very 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  65 

ill ;  for  she  was  the  cause  of  my  mother's  anger  against  me,  and 
of  the  constant  reproaches  that  were  heaped  on  me.  I  dared 
no  longer  speak  in  the  king's  presence,  or  show  him  the  least 
mark  of  affection ;  for  if  I  did  so  the  queen  was  sure  to  scold 
and  say  I  loved  him  better  than  her,  and  that  if  I  did  not  care 
for  her  she  could  get  on  quite  well  without  me. 

It  was  the  same  with  my  brother:  if  the  king  told  him  to 
do  anything,  the  queen  was  sure  at  once  to  forbid  his  doing  it. 
The  poor  child  often  did  not  know  what  to  do ;  but  as  Count 
Finkenstein,  his  governor,  was  a  great  favorite  with  my  mother, 
and  taught  him  to  care  much  more  for  her  than  for  his  father, 
he  always  obeyed  my  mother's  orders  rather  than  the  king's. 
This  was  naturally  most  irritating  to  a  man  of  my  father's  ob- 
stinate nature. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1726  the  queen  gave  birth  to 
a  son,  who  received  the  name  of  Henry.  As  soon  as  she  had 
recovered  from  her  confinement  we  all  went  to  Potsdam.  I 
cannot  resist  giving  an  account  of  a  most  ridiculous  incident 
which  happened  to  me.  We  led  a  most  sad  life.  We  were 
awakened  at  seven  every  morning  by  the  king's  regiment, 
which  exercised  in  front  of  the  windows  of  our  rooms,  which 
were  on  the  ground-floor.  The  firing  went  on  incessantly — 
piff,  puff ! — and  lasted  the  whole  morning.  At  ten  we  went  to 
see  my  mother,  and  accompanied  her  into  the  room  next  the 
king's,  where  we  sat  and  sighed  all  the  rest  of  the  morning. 
Then  came  dinner-time ;  the  dinner  consisted  of  six  small,  bad- 
ly cooked  dishes,  which  had  to  suffice  for  twenty-four  persons, 
so  that  some  had  to  be  satisfied  with  the  mere  smell.  At  ta- 
ble nothing  else  was  talked  of  but  economy  and  soldiers.  The 
queen  and  ourselves,  too  unworthy  to  open  our  mouths,  lis- 
tened in  humble  silence  to  the  oracles  which  were  pronounced. 

When  dinner  was   over,  the  king  sat  himself  down  in  a 

wooden  arm-chair  and  slept  for  two  hours;  but  before  doing 

so,  he  generally  managed  to  make  some  unpleasant  speech  for 

the  queen  or  for  us.     As  long  as  the  king  slept  I  worked,  and 

5 


66  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

as  soon  as  he  woke  up  he  went  away.  The  queen  then  went 
back  into  her  room,  where  I  read  aloud  to  her  till  the  king  re- 
turned. He  came  back  only  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  went 
to  the  "  Tabagie."  This  was  the  time  I  had  free.  I  loved 
music  dearly,  and  practised,  and  made  great  progress  in  it. 
Slipper,  from  which  we  generally  got  up  hungry,  was  at  eight 
in  the  evening.  The  queen  played  at  cards  with  her  lady-in- 
waiting  and  mine,  who  were  our  only  attendants,  and  I  re- 
mained alone  with  my  sister.  As  her  age  did  not  in  any  way 
make  her  a  companion  for  me,  my  only  resource  was  in  my 
books.  I  had  a  small  library,  which  I  hid  under  all  the  beds 
and  tables ;  for  the  king  despised  all  learning,  and  wished  me 
to  occupy  myself  with  nothing  but  needlework  and  household 
duties  or  details.  Had  he  ever  found  me  writing  or  reading 
he  would  probably  have  whipped  me.  On  the  other  hand,  I 
should  have  grieved  my  mother  greatly  had  I  neglected  my 
education,  as  she  encouraged  me  more  and  more  to  improve 
arid  cultivate  my  mind. 

My  brother,  who  was  in  great  disgrace  with  the  king,  re- 
mained at  Berlin  during  the  year  1726.  The  king  was  very 
angry  with  him,  and  one  day  expressed  himself  in  such  a  man- 
ner about  him  that  we  trembled  for  the  poor  child.  He  said 
he  would  put  him  in  prison,  disinherit  him,  get  rid  of  his  gov- 
ernor, Count  Finkenstein,  and  treat  him  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  teach  him  what  a  disobedient  son  deserved.  We  should 
have  paid  no  heed  to  such  remarks  had  any  one  else  but  the 
king  made  them ;  but  we  were,  alas !  but  too  well  acquainted 
with  his  violence  not  to  fear  for  its  consequences.  The  chief 
cause  of  his  anger  was  the  determined  manner  in  which  my 
brother  refused  to  be  subject  to  him  ;  and  it  was  not  the  poor 
young  prince's  fault :  the  queen  had  forbidden  him  to  be  so. 
The  king  continued  abusing  the  prince  till  the  evening,  when 
he  said  he  would  not  have  any  supper,  and  went  to  his  smok- 
ing party.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  queen's  room  she  told 
me  to  sit  down  and  write  and  tell  my  brother  all  that  had 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTIJ.  67 

taken  place,  enclosing  him  a  rough  draft  of  a  letter  to  the  king, 
in  which  he  begged  him  for  forgiveness. 

I  was  writing  quietly,  and  had  nearly  finished  my  letter, 
when  I  heard  the  king  coming — for  he  had  such  a  heavy  step 
that  it  always  sounded  as  if  he  wore  thick  boots.  The  fright 
I  was  in  could  not  be  described,  but  I  never  lost  my  head,  and 
hid  my  letter  behind  a  Chinese  cabinet.  My  governess  put 
my  pens,  etc.,  in  safety.  As  the  king  was  already  in  the  room, 
I  slipped  the  ink-bottle  into  my  pocket,  and  there  I  held  it  in 
my  hand.  This  was  all  done  in  a  second.  The  king  spoke  a 
few  words  to  the  queen,  and  then  moved  towards  the  Chinese 
cabinet.  "It  is  a  pretty  thing,"  he  said;  "I  will  give  it  to 
you,"  at  the  same  time  trying  the  lock.  I  saw  the  moment 
coming  when  my  letter  would  fall  to  the  ground  and  be  dis- 
covered. The  queen,  half  dead  with  terror,  directed  the  king's 
attention  to  her  little  dog  and  mine,  which  were  at  the  other 
end  of  the  room.  "  Look,"  she  said,  "  my  daughter  will  have 
it  that  her  dog  is  much  prettier  than  mine ;  now  you  must  be 
the  judge,  and  decide  between  us."  He  laughed,  and  asked 
me  if  I  was  very  fond  of  my  dog  ?  "  Yes,  I  am,"  I  answered, 
"  because  be  has  so  much  sense,  and  deserves  so  much  at  my 
hands."  My  answer  so  pleased  the  king  that  he  took  me  in 
his  arms  and  kissed  me.  And  I — oh,  miserable  fate ! — I  was 
obliged  to  let  go  the  ink-bottle,  which  was  spilt  all  over  me 
and  the  floor.  I  never  stirred  or  moved.  Happily  the  king 
soon  left  the  room,  and  put  an  end  to  the  painful  position  we 
were  in.  The  ink  had  wetted  me  to  the  skin,  so  that  I  had  to 
be  dried.  When  once  the  danger  was  over,  we  were  able  to 
laugh  heartily  at  the  whole  occurrence. 

The  king  soon  afterwards  made  it  all  up  with  my  brother, 
who  then  came  to  Potsdam.  He  was  the  most  amiable  prince 
you  could  see — handsome,  well-grown,  with  great  mental  gifts, 
and  endued  with  all  the  virtues  which  could  make  a  perfect 
sovereign. 

I  now  come  to  most  serious  events,  which  were  the  cause 


68  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

of  all  the  cruel  fatalities  which  afterwards  befell  my  beloved 
brother  and  myself.  In  the  year  1717,  the  emperor*  had 
founded  an  East  Indian  Company  in  Ostend,  a  small  town  in 
Holland.  This  company  began  to  trade  with  two  ships,  and 
in  spite  of  all  the  difficulties  which  the  Dutch  tried  to  lay  in 
their  way,  they  reaped  many  advantages.  The  emperor  had 
given  this  company,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  his  other  subjects, 
the  right  and  privilege  for  thirty  years  of  extending  their  trade 
to  Africa  and  India,  As  trade  and  commerce  are  the  best 
means  of  increasing  the  prosperity  of  a  State,  the  emperor  had 
made  a  secret  treaty  with  Spain,  in  1725,  in  which  he  bound 
himself  to  obtain  Gibraltar  and  Port  Mahon  for  the  Spaniards. 
In  addition  to  this,  a  treaty  of  commerce  was  made  with  this 
country,  to  which  the  Russian  empress  also  became  a  party. 
These  secret  negotiations  of  the  Court  of  Vienna  did  not  long 
remain  unknown  to  England,  France,  and  Holland.  The  East 
Indian  trade  had  already  attacked  that  of  the  two  Maritime 
Powers,  and  as  the  greatness  of  these  Powers  lay  in  their  com- 
merce, they  soon  became  aware  that  the  Vienna  Treaty  meant 
their  ruin.  In  order  to  resist  the  ambitious  designs  of  Austria 
and  Spain,  they  made  a  new  alliance  with  France,  Prussia,  Den- 
mark, and  Sweden,  and  it  was  this  treaty  which  was  signed  at 
Charlottenburg. 

The  emperor  was  well  aware  that  he  could  not  withstand  so 
powerful  a  combination,  and  therefore  sought  to  destroy  it. 
He  found  this,  however,  no  easy  matter,  as  he  met  everywhere 
with  resistance.  He  would  have  been  obliged  to  seek  for  other 
means  had  not  the  Count  Seckendorf,  whom  I  have  already 
mentioned,  helped  him  out  of  the  difficulty.  Seckendorf  was 
(irumkow's  most  intimate  friend.  He  knew  him  thoroughly, 
and  was  aware  that  his  ambition  and  selfishness  would  make 
him  shrink  from  nothing.  Already  in  the  preceding  year  he 
had  written  to  Grumkow,  telling  him  of  the  emperor's  precari- 

*  Charles  VI.  of  Austria,  Emperor  of  Germany. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.  69 

ous  position,  and  of  the  need  in  which  he  stood  of  the  king's 
support.  These  letters  were  accompanied  by  presents,  and  by 
promises  that  offered  no  small  temptation  to  so  venal  a  nature. 

As  I  have  before  said,  the  friendly  relations  between  the 
courts  of  England  and  Prussia  had  cooled  down  since  the  year 
1725.  My  father  was  much  annoyed,  too,  at  the  postponement 
of  my  marriage.  Grumkow  kept  constantly  telling  him  that 
the  King  of  England  was  only  trying  to  put  him  off,  and 
had  negotiated  only  to  attain  the  end  he  had  in  view,  viz.,  to 
gain  him  over  to  his  side;  when  he  no  longer  wanted  him, 
he  would  let  the  mask  drop,  and  pay  no  more  attention  to  any 
promises  he  had  made.  In  this  way  Grumkow  had  prepared 
the  king  to  consent  to  break  through  the  treaty.  The  king 
was  most  anxious  for  my  marriage  for  more  than  one  reason. 
England  and  the  other  signatories  of  the  Hanoverian  Treaty 
had  guaranteed  him  the  enfeoffment  (investitur)  of  the  princi- 
palities of  Julich  and  Berg.*  But  the  king  had  the  misfort- 
une to  be  always  deceived  by  those  who  least  deserved  his 
confidence,  and  these,  knowing  his  violent  temper,  used  his 
weakness  to  assist  them  in  attaining  whatever  end  they  had  in 
view. 

When  Seckendorf,  who  had  been  sent  as  special  envoy, 
reached  Berlin,  he  found  everything  ripe  for  his  plans.  He  be- 

*  The  death  of  the  idiotic  Duke  of  Cleve,  Julich,  and  Berg  in  1609  with- 
out issue  was  the  cause  of  prolonged  hostilities  between  the  Protestant 
Union  and  the  Catholic  League.  As  the  succession  was  the  cause  of  the 
dispute,  the  Emperor  of  Germany  claimed  the  lands  for  himself  till  mat- 
ters were  settled,  but  the  two  pretenders,  the  Elector  of  Brandenburg  and 
the  Palatine  of  Neuburg,  hastily  took  possession  of  them.  There  soon, 
however,  arose  fresh  quarrels  between  them,  and  the  Elector  called  the 
Dutch  to  his  aid,  while  the  Palatine  was  supported  by  Spain.  In  1614  the 
dispute  was  settled.  Brandenburg  got  Cleve  and  Neuburg,  Jiilich  and  Berg ; 
and  they  divided  the  lands  between  them.  The  hatred  and  differences  of 
religion,  however,  continued  to  grow  more  marked.  In  a  word,  the  parti- 
tion may  be  looked  on  as  the  prelude  to  the  Thirty  Years'  War. — Note  by 
the  Translator. 


70  MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

gan  by  ingratiating  himself  with  the  king,  who  had  known  him 
from  the  time  when  he  had  been  in  the  Saxon  service,  and  had 
always  respected  him.  He  brought  a  whole  suite  of  Hungarian 
soldiers  (Heyducken)  with  him,  the  smallest  of  whom  stood 
six  feet.  These  were  presented  to  the  king,  together  with  gra- 
cious messages  from  the  emperor,  and  also  permission  to  raise 
recruits  from  Hungary  and  any  other  part  of  his  dominions 
where  tall  men  were  to  be  found.  The  king  was  overjoyed  at 
this ;  nor  did  the  brilliant  fetes  which  Seckendorf  gave  in  his 
honor  fail  to  make  their  impression,  for  the  king  was  very  fond 
of  amusements  and  good  living  as  long  as  he  had  not  to  pay 
for  them.  Only  Seckendorf  and  Grumkow's  friends  were  in- 
vited to  these  festivities,  so  that  it  became  an  easy  matter  to 
win  the  king  over  to  the  emperor's  cause ;  yet  the  treaty  with 
England  was  still  to  be  preserved  intact.  The  king  was  also 
strongly  of  that  opinion,  as  he  still  flattered  himself  that  my 
marriage  might  come  to  pass. 

The  queen  was  much  distressed  and  troubled  by  all  these 
machinations,  for  she  foresaw  their  results,  which  could  only  be 
the  reverse  of  pleasant.  My  father  continued  to  be  very  bitter 
against  the  King  of  England,  and  never  mentioned  him  without 
using  some  abusive  epithet.  My  mother  could  not  listen  to 
this  in  silence,  and  always  had  an  answer  ready.  There  were, 
consequently,  daily  quarrels  between  them,  which  always  ended 
in  serious  differences.  But  this  was  only  the  beginning  of  all 
the  trouble  and  sorrow  which  were  in  store  for  us ;  and,  had  we 
then  known  what  was  to  follow,  we  should  have  thought  our 
present  condition  very  agreeable. 

I  must  mention  one  other  event  which  took  place  in  the  year 
1725.  While  the  queen  was  at  Berlin  she  often  conversed 
with  the  French  envoy,  Count  von  Rotenburg,  about  the  sad 
position  she  was  in  with  reference  to  the  English  Court.  He 
gave  her  all  the  information  he  received  on  the  subject.  One 
day,  when  she  was  talking  to  him  about  it,  he  mentioned  to  her 
that,  in  spite  of  all  the  trouble  France  had  given  herself  at  the 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  71 

English  Court  to  bring  about  the  speedy  settlement  of  my 
marriage,  it  had  availed  nothing ;  that  he  was  well  aware  that 
the  continued  obstinacy  of  the  King  of  England  must  cause  a 
breach,  but  that  he  did  not  understand  why  the  queen  was  so 
grieved  about  it,  as  the  Prince  of  Wales  was,  after  all,  not  the 
only  alliance  I  could  make,  and  that  other  crowns  could  be  of- 
fered me  that  were  worth  quite  as  much  as  that  of  England. 
The  queen  was  much  taken  aback  by  this  speech,  not  knowing 
to  what  it  might  lead.  Count  Rotenburg,  observing  this,  con- 
tinued as  follows :  "  Our  king  is  not  yet  married,  and  he  would 
be  overjoyed  to  win  for  himself  a  princess  such  as  the  daughter 
of  your  Majesty."  The  queen,  answering  him,  said,  "  I  have 
nothing  to  find  fault  with  in  your  offer;  but  the  religion  is  a 
bar  to  it,  and  for  this  reason  I  could  never  give  my  consent." 
She  thereupon  turned  the  conversation.  The  count  afterwards 
sounded  the  king  on  the  subject,  and  received  much  the  same 
answer.  The  question,  consequently,  was  never  raised  again. 

The  year  1727  was  not  any  happier  than  1726.  Seckendorf 
became  daily  a  greater  favorite.  He  gained  such  an  ascend- 
ancy over  the  king  that  he  was  appointed  to  all  the  vacant 
posts,  and  nothing  was  decided  without  his  advice.  All  the 
king's  servants  were  at  his  orders ;  yet,  in  spite  of  the  power 
he  had  over  him,  he  did  not  dare  endeavor  to  induce  the  king 
to  consent  to  break  through  the  treaty  with  England.  He 
therefore  contented  himself  with  embroiling  matters.  To  in- 
gratiate himself  still  more,  he  proposed  to  the  king  to  arrange 
a  marriage  for  my  second  sister,  and  promised  to  persuade  the 
Margrave  of  Anspach  to  corne  to  Berlin  and  see  her.  The  king 
was  enchanted  with  this  idea.  The  parties  concerned  were  still 
both  too  young,  so  it  was  decided  that  the  whole  matter  should 
be  kept  a  profound  secret  till  the  marriageable  age  had  been 
attained.  My  sister  was  very  beautiful,  but  she  was  not  partic- 
ularly clever,  and  my  mother  loved  her  least  of  all  her  children. 
She  was  very  violent  and  hot-tempered.  All  the  sorrow  which 
she  has  since  gone  through  has  cured  her  of  these  faults,  for 


72  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII. 

she  has  now  become  so  gentle  that  one  would  scarcely  know 
her  again. 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  this  prince,*  the  sad  news  reached 
Berlin  of  the  death  of  the  King  of  England.  He  had  left  Eng- 
land for  Germany  in  perfect  health,  was  seized  at  Osnabriick 
with  another  stroke,  where  he  died  in  the  arms  of  his  brother, 
the  Duke  of  York.  All  the  remedies  applied  proved  of  no 
avail.  The  queen  was  in  utter  despair  at  his  loss,  and  even  the 
king  was  affected  by  it.  He  had  always  looked  on  him  in  the 
light  of  a  father,  having  been  intrusted  to  his  care  during  the 
time  when  King  Frederick  I.  fled  to  Hanover  to  escape  from 
the  persecutions  of  his  stop-mother,  the  Queen  Dorothea.  My 
father  felt  his  death  all  the  more,  as  he  had  learned  that  he  had 
determined  to  have  my  marriage  celebrated  at  Hanover  during 
this  year.  My  uncle,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  was  now  proclaimed 
King  of  Great  Britain,  and  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  assumed 
the  title  of  Prince  of  Wales. 

I  have  already  mentioned  in  these  memoirs  that  my  father 
had  been  very  subject  to  severe  nervous  attacks,  which  the  use 
of  ipecacuanha  had  cured.  It  now  became  apparent  that  these 
nervous  symptoms  had  in  a  great  measure  caused  him  to  be- 
come hypochondriacal.  He  suffered  from  attacks  of  profound 
melancholy,  during  which  he  did  nothing  else  but  speak  of  his 
intention  to  shut  himself  up  from  the  world  and  to  abdicate  in 
favor  of  his  son.f 

In  the  hope  that  the  King  of  England  would  carry  out  the 
treaty  made  with  his  late  father,  my  father  was  most  polite  and 
obliging  to  the  king;  but  the  queen,  my  aunt,  whose  charac- 
ter I  have  already  described,  was  not  favorable  to  him  —  be- 
sides which  the  Court  of  Vienna,  which  was  well  acquainted 

*  Margrave  of  Anspach. 

f  The-  following  note  is  added  in  another  handwriting:  "The  king  never 
had  the  intention  of  giving  up  the  crown  to  his  son,  or  else  he  would  cer- 
tainly have  done  so.  The  king  was  making  fun  of  (irumkow  and  Scckcn- 
dorf,  and  wanted  merely  to  put  them  to  a  test." 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  73 

with  the  king,  was  playing  the  same  game  in  England  as  at 
Berlin. 

The  year  1728  was  far  more  interesting  than  the  former,  and 
seemed  to  bring  events  to  a  climax. 

Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  were  in  great  perplexity  as  to 
what  to  do  about  their  plan.  The  king  spoke  incessantly  of 
his  abdication,  and  all  the  measures  he  took  seemed  to  point 
towards  his  being  in  earnest  about  it.  These  two  ministers 
constantly  laid  difficulties  in  his  way  to  prevent  his  carrying 
out  his  intentions,  telling  him  how  deeply  he  would  repent  of 
doing  so.  These  representations  had  no  effect  on  him  what- 
ever, and  he  became  more  and  more  bigoted  in  his  views.  No 
one  dared  laugh  or  be  cheerful  in  his  presence.  Herr  Franke, 
the  great  devotee  and  founder  of  the  Academy  and  Orphan 
Asylum  at  Halle,  was  constantly  attacking  him.  We  lived  like 
Trappists,  to  the  great  grief  of  my  brother  and  myself.  Every 
afternoon  the  king  preached  a  sermon,  to  which  we  had  to  lis- 
ten as  attentively  as  if  it  had  proceeded  from  the  lips  of  an 
apostle.  My  brother  and  I  were  often  ser/ed  with  such  an  in- 
tense sense  of  the  ridiculous  that  we  burst  out  laughing,  upon 
which  an  apostolic  curse  was  poured  out  on  our  heads,  which 
we  had  to  accept  with  a  show  of  humility  and  penitence. 

As  all  Grumkow  and  Seckendorfs  efforts  to  rouse  the  king 
from  his  sad  condition  hitherto  had  proved  useless,  they  deter- 
mined to  try  some  other  means.  King  Augustus,  of  Poland, 
had  lately  become  a  party  to  the  Austrian  treaty.  The  Court 
at  Dresden,  where  this  king  lived,  was  generally  acknowledged 
to  be  one  of  the  most  brilliant  in  all  Germany.  The  king  was 
courteous,  generous,  and  civil.  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf,  there- 
fore, settled  to  try  and  induce  the  king — for  more  reasons  than 
one — to  make  a  journey  to  Dresden,  first  of  all  to  distract  his 
mind  by  amusements  of  various  kinds,  in  order  to  prevent  his 
carrying  out  his  wish  of  abdicating ;  then  to  bring  him  into 
more  intimate  relations  with  the  Saxon  Court — a  step  which  was 
necessary  for  the  success  of  their  plan  ;  and,  thirdly,  to  attain 


V4  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

more  quickly  the  advantages  the  eraperor  wished  to  reap  by 
means  of  that  court.  They  succeeded  in  winning  the  king  over 
to  their  views  on  political  grounds.  He  agreed  to  their  propo- 
sition, and  in  the  middle  of  January  started  for  Dresden  from 
Wusterhausen. 

My  brother  was  much  put  out  at  not  being  allowed  to  ac- 
company him,  and  still  more  so  at  being  obliged  to  stay  at 
Potsdam  during  the  whole  of  the  king's  absence.  The  manner 
in  which  he  spoke  to  me  about  it  proved  how  much  he  took  it 
to  heart.  I  comforted  him  to  the  utmost  of  my  power,  and 
told  him  I  hoped  he  would  in  a  few  days  be  more  contented, 
as  I  had  not  given  up  all  hope  that  he  might  yet  see  his  wishes 
realized. 

The  queen,  who  had  returned  to  Berlin,  held  a  reception  next 
day,  at  which  the  Saxon  envoy,  M.  de  Suhm,  was  present.  He 
was  a  very  clever  and  distinguished  man,  and  much  attached  to 
my  brother  and  myself.  As  soon  as  I  saw  him  I  exclaimed, 
"  Your  king  is  not  very  civil  to  have  forgotten  my  brother,  and 
to  have  left  him  to  languish  at  Potsdam  while  happiness  reigns 
at  Dresden."  Suhm  was  much  surprised  at  my  speech,  as  he 
thought  my  brother  had  left  with  the  king.  He  assured  me 
his  master  would  be  only  too  delighted  to  see  the  crown  prince, 
and  that  he  would  at  once  send  off  a  messenger  to  inform  him 
that  the  prince  was  not  accompanying  the  king.  "  That  will  be 
an  excellent  plan,"  I  replied,  "  but  you  must  not  mention  me  or 
the  prince ;  it  must  be  quite  your  own  idea."  How  often  and 
often  have  I  since  repented  of  this  step !  But  how  could  I  know 
beforehand  that  it  would  lead  to  such  tragic  results?  I  loved 
my  brother  so  passionately  that  I  always  tried  to  give  him 
pleasure.  Suhm  managed  so  well  that  my  brother  received 
orders  to  come  to  Dresden. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  the  King  of  Poland  loved  the 
pleasures  of  this  world.  He  had  a  complete  harem,  and  his  ex- 
cesses surpass  all  description.  As  soon  as  my  father  reached 
Dresden  he  was  drawn  into  a  perfect  whirl  of  amusements,  in 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREDTH.  75 

which  he  soon  lost  his  melancholy  and  piety.  Nor  was  good 
living  disregarded,  and  the  intimacy  between  the  two  sovereigns 
ripened  into  friendship.  Grnmkow,  who  was  enchanted  to  see 
the  effect  produced  on  his  master  by  the  visit,  encouraged  the 
King  of  Poland  to  lead  the  king  still  further  astray,  by  offering 
him  temptations  of  the  lowest  description.*  . .  . 

[The  Margravine  here  mentions  that,  not  content  with  hav- 
ing got  hold  of  the  king,  the  King  of  Poland  also  tried  to  cor- 
rupt the  crown  prince,  through  the  agency  of  a  certain  Count- 
ess Orselska.] 

My  father  left  Dresden  highly  delighted  with  his  visit,  and 
invited  the  King  of  Poland  to  be  present  at  the  inspection  of 
the  Prussian  troops  at  Berlin. 

I  spent  all  this  time  most  sorrowfully  at  Berlin.  The  Count- 
ess Amelie  continued  to  persecute  me.  My  mother's  scoldings 
I  bore  with  patience,  but  it  was  all  I  could  do  to  tolerate  in 
silence  this  girl's  insolence ;  and  though  I  controlled  myself  so 
far  as  not  to  answer  it,  I  did  not  feel  it  the  less  keenly.  I  was 
nineteen  years  old,  and  therefore  no  longer  a  child,  and  was 
capable  of  deciding  for  myself.  My  patience  was  well-nigh  ex- 
hausted in  defending  myself  against  the  Countess  Amelie,  as 
well  as  against  a  new  favorite  of  my  mother,  whom  I  can  com- 
pare only  to  a  monster.  This  last  was  a  maid  of  the  queen's, 
named  Ramen.  She  was  a  widow,  or  rather  she  had,  like  the 
woman  of  Samaria,  more  than  one  husband.  Her  hypocritical 
piety,  her  assumed  charity  towards  the  poor,  and  the  long 
speeches  on  morality  which  she  hurled  at  everybody,  had  in- 
duced Madame  von  Blaspiel  to  recommend  her  to  the  queen. 
At  the  time  of  my  sister  Amelie's  birth  she  had  known  how  to 
make  herself  most  useful  and  pleasant  to  the  queen,  and  since 
that  time  had  become  a  still  greater  favorite.  The  Countess 


*  The  translator  has  here  omitted  several  details  in  reference  to  the 
King  of  Poland.  They  were  both  coarse  and  unedifying,  and  at  the  same 
time  without  influence  on  the  narrative. 


76  MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

Amelie  and  this  woman  both  ruled  my  mother,  but  they  did 
not  hit  it  off  so  well  with  each  other  as  they  did  with  the 
queen.  They  were  rivals  for  her  favor ;  but  each  being  aware 
of  her  influence,  they  took  good  care  not  to  show  their  mutual 
hatred  in  the  queen's  presence.  I  was,  of  course,  the  victim 
tormented  by  both.  I  thought  I  should  go  mad  in  conse- 
quence. I  never  failed  in  civility  towards  my  two  persecutors; 
it  was  my  principle  never  to  forget  what  was  due  to  all,  even  to 
my  enemies.  Unaffected  civility  is  no  deceit,  and  enemies  are 
more  easily  won  over  by  gentleness  than  by  violence.  Besides, 
gentleness  is  a  virtue  which  most  becomes  our  sex.  I  have 
always  acted  up  to  this  precept,  and  I  can  say  with  truth 
that  through  it  I  have  conciliated  many  that  were  not  friendly 
to  me. 

Shortly  after  the  king's  return  from  Dresden,  Marshal  Count 
Flemming  was  appointed  Saxon  envoy  at  Berlin.* 

He  was  a  man  of  great  worth.  I  had  known  him  since  my 
childhood,  and  was  much  attached  to  him.  The  Princess  Rad- 
ziwil,  his  wife,  was  a  most  amiable  lady.  Although  I  was  not 
allowed  to  receive  visits  from  gentlemen,  Count  Flemming's 
age  and  his  high  personal  character  induced  my  mother  to 
brave  all  gossip,  and  make  an  exception  in  his  favor.  He  often 
made  use  of  this  privilege,  and  he  and  his  wife,  who  was  of  a 
very  cheerful  temperament,  spent  many  an  hour  with  me.  The 
day  before  his  departure,  when  he  came  to  take  leave  of  me, 
he  assured  me  once  more  of  his  entire  devotion  and  respect, 
adding,  "  I  hope  before  long  to  give  your  Royal  Highness 
striking  proofs  of  my  attachment,  and  to  make  you  as  happy 
as  you  deserve."  At  that  time  I  thought  he  referred  to  my 
English  marriage,  and  made  no  reply  beyond  assuring  him  of 
my  esteem. 


*  The  following  note  in  another  handwriting  mentions  that  Count  Flem- 
ming was  at  Berlin  before  the  king  left  for  Dresden,  and  that  it  was  he 
who  induced  him  to  undertake  this  journey. 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH.  77 

A  few  days  after  this  we  went  to  Potsdam.  The  journey 
there  had  always  been  disagreeable  to  me  on  account  of  the 
depressing  existence  we  led  there.  This  time,  however,  I  was 
glad  to  leave  Berlin,  knowing  I  should  escape  from  Conntess 
Amelie's  persecutions.  It  was,  however,  of  little  use ;  the 
queen  was  so  irate  with  me  and  my  governess  that  I  was  ill- 
used  nearly  the  whole  time.  The  queen  even  went  so  far  as  to 
threaten  to  speak  to  the  king,  but,  knowing  the  great  esteem  in 
which  he  held  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  she  never  dared  to 
do  so.  In  consequence  of  my  entire  submissiveness  and  the 
interference  of  Count  Finkenstein,  who  did  not  share  his  daugh- 
ter's* ambitious  views  —  he  did  not  even  know  of  them  —  I 
and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  made  our  peace  with  the 
queen. 

The  king  continued  his  abuse  of  the  King  of  England.  He 
did  so  openly  at  the  dinner-table,  where  in  general  the  most 
confidential  matters  were  discussed.  Seckendorf  never  left  his 
side.  The  queen  could  not  bear  these  speeches  about  England, 
and  one  day  plainly  told  Seckendorf  what  she  thought  of  him. 
She  reminded  him  of  an  occurrence  which  was  anything  but  to 
his  credit,  and  that  he  was  no  man  of  honor.  Seckendorf,  who 
would  always  have  the  last  word,  gave  some  biting  answer,  and 
this  led  to  others.  Nobody  took  any  pleasure  in  such  scenes 
except  the  king,  who  tried  to  provoke  a  daily  repetition  of 
them.  Up  to  now  Seckendorf  had  done  all  he  could  to  bring 
about  a  rupture  between  the  courts  of  England  and  Prussia; 
but  since  the  queen  had  treated  him  so  ill  he  determined  on 
another  plan,  which  was  much  more  advantageous  to  the  em- 
peror, and  which,  as  I  shall  afterwards  show,  nearly  caused  our 
complete  ruin. 

My  brother  had  been  in  a  most  dejected  state  ever  since  his 
return  from  Dresden.  All  my  endeavors  to  rouse  him  were  in 
vain,  and  when  I  asked  him  what  was  the  matter  he  said  it  was 

*  The  Countess  Amelie. 


78  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

the  result  of  his  father's  unkind  treatment  of  him.  The  queen 
too  did  her  best  to  cheer  him,  but  without  avail.  He  grew 
thinner  and  thinner  by  degrees,  would  not  eat,  while  the  con- 
stant fainting  fits  he  had  made  all  fear  he  was  going  into  a 
consumption.  The  king,  who  was  informed  of  the  prince's 
condition,  sent  him  his  surgeon -general,  Holzendorf,  who  re- 
ported the  prince  to  be  so  seriously  ill  that,  unless  energetic 
measures  were  adopted,  he  would  certainly  become  consump- 
tive. This  account  made  the  king  very  anxious,  for  he  had 
naturally  a  good  heart,  and  in  spite  of  the  dislike  which  Grum- 
kow  had  fostered  in  his  mind  against  his  son,  the  voice  of  nat- 
ure made  itself  heard,  and  he  regretted  having  treated  him  so 
unkindly. 

No  one  knew  what  was  really  the  matter  with  the  prince. 
He  was  merely  love-sick,  as  will  be  seen  later  on.  Many  well- 
intentioned  persons  advised  the  king  to  marry  his  son,  but  this 
advice  produced  not  the  slightest  effect.  The  near  arrival  of 
the  King  of  Poland  seemed  to  restore  the  prince  to  health. 
He  hoped  to  renew  his  acquaintance  with  Countess  Orselska, 
whom  he  had  seen  at  Dresden,  and  with  whom  he  was  much  in 
love,  for  she  was  to  accompany  the  king.  Although  my  broth- 
er and  I  had  few  secrets  from  one  another,  he  had  not  confid- 
ed anything  of  this  to  me ;  for  he  knew  my  views  about  most 
things,  and  took  care  not  to  mention  anything  to  me  of  which 
I  should  disapprove. 

We  returned  to  Berlin  at  the  end  of  May,  and  on  our  arri- 
val the  queen  found  letters  awaiting  her,  informing  her  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales's  intention  of  coming  incognito  to  Berlin.  He 
thought  he  should,  thanks  to  the  commotion  and  confusion 
caused  by  the  King  of  Poland's  presence,  be  able  to  see  me. 
The  queen  was  delighted  at  the  visit,  and  immediately  told  me 
of  it.  The  news  caused  me  less  satisfaction,  as  I  did  not  care 
at  all  about  this  marriage.  Ambition  was  not  one  of  my  quali- 
ties, and  I  was  quite  certain  that  the  English  Court  would  not 
suit  me, 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.  79 

The  King  of  Poland  arrived  on  the  29th  of  May,  and  im- 
mediately waited  on  the  queen.  He  was  fifty  years  old  at  that 
time,  had  a  majestic  presence,  and  manners  that  betokened 
kindness  and  civility.  His  very  irregular  life  had  injured  his 
health,  and  he  was  suffering  from  lameness,  and  could  not  stand 
long.  The  queen  sat  herself  down  with  him  on  "  tabourets," 
and  the  king  and  the  rest  of  us  stood  around  them,  in  spite  of 
the  King  of  Poland's  repeatedly  asking  us  to  be  seated.  He 
looked  at  me  very  attentively,  praised  our  family,  and  made 
some  amiable  speech  about  each  one  of  us.  After  an  hour  he 
took  his  leave,  the  queen  accompanying  him  beyond  her  audi- 
ence-chamber. The  crown  prince  of  Poland  then  came  to  pay 
his  respects  to  my  mother.  He  was  tall  and  strong,  with  a 
handsome  face.  His  manner  was  not  so  courteous  as  his  fa- 
ther's. He  looked  proud  and  spoke  little,  and  was  not  much 
to  be  praised  for  his  civility.  Since  he  has  ascended  the 
throne  people  speak  very  well  of  him,  much  good  is  said  of 
him,  and  his  work  has  made  one  forget  what  is  unpleasant  in 
his  manner.  His  visit  to  my  mother  was  a  short  one.  We 
spent  our  evening  in  our  accustomed  solitude,  the  King  of  Po- 
land and  his  son  each  dining  in  his  own  room. 

On  the  following  morning  we  all  assembled  in  the  state- 
rooms of  the  Castle.  The  two  kings  soon  afterwards  joined 
us  there,  the  King  of  Poland  accompanied  by  three  hundred 
nobles  of  his  court.  They  were  presented  to  the  queen  and 
afterwards  to  me.  Among  them  was  Prince  -Johann  Adoif,  of 
Weissenfels,  Lieutenant-general  of  Saxony.  Although  I  did 
not  converse  for  long  with  these  gentlemen,  I  have  remembered 
their  names,  however  barbaric  some  of  them  sounded.  There 
was  a  state  dinner.  The  King  of  Poland  and  my  mother  sat 
in  the  middle,  my  father  next  to  his  royal  guest,  then  the  crown 
prince  and  all  the  Saxon  and  Prussian  princes,  as  many  as  there 
were  present.  I  sat  on  the  other  side  of  my  mother.  Then 
came  my  eldest  sister,  and  next  her  all  the  other  princesses. 
After  dinner  all  returned  to  their  rooms,  and  in  the  evening 


80  MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

my  mother  held  a  reception,  at  which  also  were  present  the 
Countesses  Orselska  and  Bilinska. 

The  Poles  that  were  received  by  my  mother  were  much  sur- 
prised at  my  knowing  and  addressing  them  by  their  names. 
It  flattered  them  so  much  that  they  said  out  loud  that  I  must 
"become  their  queen."  Count  Flemming,  whom  I  have  men- 
tioned before,  was  not  present;  he  died  soon  after  leaving  Ber- 
lin, on  his  way  to  Vienna. 

Balls  and  festivities  succeeded  each  other  without  intermis- 
sion during  the  King  of  Poland's  visit,  but  on  account  of  my 
father's  jealousy  at  our  taking  part  in  them  I  had  but  little 
enjoyment  from  them.  The  Prince  of  Weissenfels  seemed  to 
take  much  notice  of  me ;  but  I  took  all  his  assiduity  merely  as 
a  mark  of  civility,  and  never  for  one  moment  thought  that  his 
attentions  meant  anything  more. 

The  day  before  the  King  of  Poland's  departure  the  two 
kings  dined  at  Charlottenburg,  where  we  had  been  staying  the 
last  few  days.  After  dinner  they  went  to  the  queen's  rooms, 
and  the  King  of  Poland  proposed  playing  a  game  at  ombre, 
in  which  I  had  the  third  hand.  During  the  whole  of  the  game 
the  king  paid  me  endless  compliments,  all  of  which  I  set 
down  to  the  good  wine  he  had  had  at  dinner.  He  tried  hard 
to  make  me  win  a  hundred  ducats,  which  would  have  been  very 
useful  to  me,  as  I  did  not  possess  a  penny,  and  was  in  conse- 
quence never  able  to  give  any  little  pleasure  to  my  friends. 
The  game  did  not  last  long;  the  King  of  Poland  soon  after- 
wards took  his  leave,  and  he  left  that  same  night  with  his  suite 
for  Dresden. 

The  king  soon  afterwards  went  to  Prussia,*  the  crown  prince 

*  Prussia  was  at  that  time  still  a  distinct  province  under  Polish  jurisdic- 
tion, though  it  had  been  united  to  Brandenburg  in  1618.  In  1773  Fred- 
erick the  Great  assumed  the  title  of  King  of  Prussia  in  Germany,  and  unit- 
ed the  Electorate  of  Brandenburg  and  his  other  provinces  into  one  kingdom 
called  Prussia.  Before  that  time  the  kings  of  Prussia  held  only  the  rank 
of  Electors  of  Braudeuburg  in  the  German  Empire. — Note  by  Translator. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  81 

remaining  at  Potsdam,  with  permission  to  visit  the  queen  twice 
a  week.  Countess  Orselska,  to  whom  he  had  paid  secret  visits, 
had  quite  cured  him  of  his  melancholy.  During  the  king's  ab- 
sence the  time  passed  most  pleasantly  ;  the  presence  of  many 
foreigners  made  our  court  very  brilliant,  and  the  King  of  Po- 
land sent  the  best  performers  in  his  private  band  to  be  heard 
by  the  queen.  During  this  period,  we  became  aware  that  my 
father  had  been  on  the  point  of  engaging  me  to  the  King  of 
Poland.  Count  Flemming  had  opened  the  negotiations  dur- 
ing his  stay  in  Berlin,  and  on  the  king's  return  to  Dresden 
these  were  nearly  concluded,  when  the  crown  prince  opposed 
the  marriage.  It  would  have  been  an  advantageous  alliance 
for  both  sovereigns.  My  father  was  to  lend  the  King  of  Po- 
land three  million  thalers,*  a  handsome  sum  was  to  be  settled 
on  me  on  the  occasion  of  my  marriage,  in  return  for  which 
Poland  guaranteed  the  possession  of  the  Lausitz  for  twenty 
years  on  a  mortgage,  with  the  administration  of  its  revenues, 
and  my  dowry  was  also  to  be  charged  to  this  province.  To 
prevent  any  difficulties  in  respect  to  my  religion  I  was  always 
to  remain  at  Dresden.  This  brilliant  project  fell  through,  as 
the  crown  prince  refused  to  sign  the  articles. 

The  queen  was  very  glad  of  this.  She  continued  to  intrigue 
with  the  envoys  of  England  and  France.  The  king  was  aware 
of  all  that  was  going  on.  That  wretched  maid,  Ramen,  from 
whom  my  mother  could  keep  nothing  secret,  kept  him  well  in- 
formed, and  employed  his  valet  Eversmann  and  his  court-sur- 
geon Holzendorf  for  that  purpose.  My  brother,  the  queen's 
ladies  and  I,  all  knew  this  maid's  intrigues,  but  she  stood  so 
high  in  my  mother's  favor  that  none  of  us  dared  expose  her. 
I  even  remember  that  the  French  envoy  several  times  expressed 
his  surprise  to  me  that  most  secret  matters  confided  to  him  by 
the  queen  were  at  once  known  in  Grumkow's  house.  I  an- 
swered him  that  I  knew  of  nothing,  and  was  very  glad  when  I 

*  Four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds. 


82  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

did  not  hear  of  things  which  did  not  concern  me.  "  I  shall 
never  say  anything  to  the  queen  for  the  future,"  the  envoy 
continued,  "  but  shall  intrust  all  to  your  Royal  Highness,  which 
will  be  far  better."  I  entreated  him  to  spare  me,  adding  that 
it  was  already  unpleasant  enough  for  me  when  the  queen  did 
confide  anything  to  me.  "  I  have  already  told  you,"  I  con- 
tinued, "  that  I  wish  to  remain  in  ignorance  of  all  these  affairs." 
"  And  yet,"  he  answered,  "  they  concern  your  happiness  and 
that  of  a  whole  nation."  "  I  am  quite  ready  to  believe  this," 
was  my  reply,  "  but  at  present  I  have  not  troubled  myself 
about  the  future.  My  ambition  is  not  great,  and  I  have  my 
own  views  on  this  subject,  which  no  doubt  differ  much  from 
those  which  others  have  formed." 

The  king  was  extremely  annoyed  at  these  cabals.  Grumkow 
and  Seckcndorf's  plan  was  not  yet  ripe,  and  they  delayed  its 
execution  and  altered  its  whole  character.  Shortly  after  the 
king's  return  we  left  Berlin  for  Wusterhausen,  and  had  been 
there  only  a  few  days  when  he  shut  himself  up  with  my  moth- 
er. We  were  left  meanwhile  in  the  adjoining  room.  We 
soon  heard  a  violent  altercation.  The  king  was  speaking  in 
very  loud  tones,  and  we  heard  my  mother  crying.  This  agitated 
me  terribly,  as  I  did  not  understand  what  it  all  meant.  After 
an  hour  and  three-quarters  had  elapsed,  the  king  suddenly 
passed  through  the  room  in  which  we  were  with  such  a  furious 
expression  on  his  face  that  I  quite  trembled.  The  queen  at 
once  sent  for  me.  I  found  her  crying  bitterly.  She  embraced 
me  tenderly,  saying,  "All  is  lost!  You  are  to  be  married — 1 
am  sure  you  have  no  idea  to  whom."  I  was  struck  dumb, 
and  when  I  was  at  last  able  to  answer  her,  said  I  f oared  it 
would  be  no  happy  provision  for  me,  seeing  it  caused  her  so 
much  sorrow.  "  No,  indeed  it  is  not,"  she  answered  ;  "  the  king 
intends  giving  you  in  marriage  to  the  Prince  of  Weissenfels." 
My  surprise  was  intense. 

This  prince's  position  was  dependent,  on  an  annuity  paid  him 
by  his  family,  and  lie  was  so  badly  off  that  he  could  scarcely 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.  83 

live  as  his  rank  required.  I  at  first  said  to  the  queen  that  I 
thought  my  father  had  wished  only  to  frighten  her  by  saying 
this;  that  he  could  not  really  mean  it.  "But  what  will  you 
say  when  I  tell  you  he  is  coming  here,"  my  mother  answered, 
"and  that  your  betrothal  is  to  be  solemnized  ?  Be  firm  ;  I  will 
support  you.  Come  what  may,  my  consent  shall  never  be 
given  to  this  marriage."  I  promised  her  I  would  resist  it  as 
long  as  it  was  possible. 

The  very  same  day  we  received  letters  from  Berlin  confirm- 
ing this  unpleasant  news.  I  was  terribly  upset  and  agitated, 
because  I  foresaw  what  a  disturbance  it  would  cause  in  the 
family,  and  that  the  whole  violence  of  my  father's  anger  would 
fall  on  me.  My  brother  and  I  talked  all  day  long  about  this 
miserable  business.  He  encouraged  me,  and  tried  in  every 
possible  manner  to  calm  me. 

The  king  ill-used  my  brother  more  and  more ;  nobody  dared 
speak  to  him,  for  fear  of  exciting  my  father's  suspicion. 
Though  he  still  had  his  governors,  they  were  no  longer  allowed 
to  accompany  him,  in  consequence  of  which  my  brother  led  a 
very  dissolute  life.  Not  having  any  one  to  turn  to,  he  was 
helped  in  many  of  his  adventures  by  Keith,  one  of  the  king's 
pages,  who  soon  became  inseparable  from  him.  Keith  was 
intelligent,  but  without  education.  He  served  my  brother 
from  feelings  of  real  devotion,  and  kept  him  informed  of  all 
the  king's  actions,  with  whom  he  was  in  great  favor.  We 
were  unaware  of  my  brother's  artifices;  and  though  I  had  no- 
ticed that  he  was  on  more  familiar  terms  with  this  page  than 
was  proper  in  his  position,  I  did  not  know  how  intimate  the 
friendship  was.  In  answer  to  my  remarks  on  the  subject,  he 
said  that  this  young  man  had  been  the  means  of  saving  him 
much  ill-usage  at  his  father's  hands,  as  he  told  him  everything 
the  king  said  of  him.  I  mentioned  nothing  of  all  this  to  the 
queen ;  for  I  was  anxious  that  my  brother  should  be  saved  all 
annoyance,  and  was  afraid  of  her  displeasure,  which  was  often 
carried  too  far. 


84  MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

I  must  now  return  to  the  Prince  of  Weissenfels.  He  arrived 
at  Wusterhausen  on  September  27th.  During  the  first  day  I 
did  not  see  him,  but  the  king  came  to  my  mother  and  desired 
her  to  send  to  Berlin  for  her  own  jewels  as  well  as  mine.  He 
wished  me  to  be  decked  out  with  them  in  honor  of  my  be- 
trothal, which  he  intended  to  be  solemnized.  The  queen  re- 
fused to  do  as  he  bade  her,  and  told  me  that  she  would  rather 
die  than  give  her  consent  to  this  marriage.  The  next  day  being 
Michaelmas-day  we  went  to  church,  and  during  the  whole  of 
the  service  the  duke  never  took  his  eyes  off  me.  I  was  in  a 
state  of  great  agitation.  Ever  since  this  subject  had  been 
mooted  I  had  had  no  peace  night  nor  day,  and  was  prepared  for 
the  very  worst.  After  church  the  duke  was  presented  to  the 
queen,  who  turned  her  back  on  him  without  a  single  word.  I 
had  managed  to  slip  away  unseen,  in  order  to  avoid  his  speak- 
ing to  me.  The  queen,  who  had  several  confidential  friends 
•with  her  at  Wusterhausen,  determined  to  let  the  Prince  of 
Weissenfels  know  that  if  he  continued  to  press  his  suit,  she 
would  have  him  publicly  insulted,  and  that  she  would  be  the 
first  to  set  the  example.  She  added  that  neither  she  nor  I 
would  ever  consent  to  the  marriage,  and  that  she  therefore 
advised  him  to  avoid  all  scandal  by  making  an  honorable  re- 
treat. In  spite  of  the  dislike  I  always  had  for  this  prince,  I 
must  do  him  justice ;  for,  though  narrow-minded,  he  was  most 
upright,  and  would  never  have  taken  this  whim  into  his  head 
had  it  not  been  put  there  by  others.  He  made  up  his  mind 
at  once,  and  wrote  to  the  king,  that,  while  knowing  how  to 
appreciate  the  great  honor  he  had  done  him  in  choosing  him 
for  his  son-in-law,  he  confessed  himself  unworthy  of  it ;  that, 
however  great  his  happiness  would  have  been  to  have  possessed 
me  for  his  wife,  he  would  rather  sacrifice  it  than  marry  me 
against  my  will.  He  therefore  entreated  the  king  to  leave  me 
perfect  liberty,  and  not  to  force  my  inclinations. 

The  king  had  no  sooner  received  this  letter  than  lie  took  it 
to  the  queen,  and  the  quarrel  began  afresh.     The  queen's  tears 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OK    BAIKEUTFf.  S.r. 

and  entreaties  resulted  in  her  obtaining  a  delay  ;  "  but  only  on 
condition,"  the  king  said,  "  that  you  write  to  the  Queen  of 
England,  and  insist  on  her  declaring  positively  what  her  in- 
tentions are  with  respect  to  the  marriage  of  my  daughter  with 
the  Prince  of  Wales.  If  the  answer  meets  my  approbation,  I 
give  up  all  thoughts  of  any  other  marriage  for  her.  But  if 
England  continues  to  allure  me  with  fine  words  and  nothing 
more,  I  will  break  off  all  negotiations,  and  shall  give  her  in 
marriage  to  whomsoever  it  pleases  me." 

The  queen  assured  him  that  she  was  ready  to  write  at  once 
to  England,  and  did  not  doubt  for  a  moment  but  that  she  would 
receive  a  satisfactory  answer.  "  We  shall  see,"  the  king  re- 
plied; "but  be  sure  of  this,  that  if  I  do  not  receive  the  answer 
I  require,  you  can  hope  for  no  more  mercy  for  your  daughter, 
and  as  regards  your  worthless  son,"  he  continued,  meaning  my 
brother,  "you  need  not  expect  me  to  think  of  marrying  him. 
I  will  not  have  a  daughter-iu-law  who  carries  her  nose  in  the 
air,  and  fills  my  court  with  intrigues,  as  others'  are  already  do- 
ing. Your  Master  Fritz  shall  sooner  get  a  flogging  at  my 
hands  than  I  will  look  out  for  a  marriage  for  him."  Happily 
my  brother  was  not  present,  for  the  king  now  poured  forth'  a 
perfect  flood  of  abuse. 

The  conversation  at  last  came  to  an  end.  My  mother,  hav- 
ing well  considered  the  step  she  was  about  to  take,  began  to  be 
less  confident  as  to  its  ultimate  success.  She  would  not,  how- 
ever, own  it  to  herself,  and  said  to  me, "  I  shall  not  give  up 
hope,  and  trust  all  will  be  well."  I  told  her  I  doubted  it,  be- 
cause I  was  sure  the  King  of  England  would  not  consent 
to  my  marriage  without  my  brother's  being  settled  too ;  and 
my  father  would  not  be  satisfied  unless  he  received  exactly  the 
answer  he  wished.  The  result  of  this  would  be  fresh  storms 
and  scenes,  which  she  would  be  unable  to  prevent.  My  mother 
was  inclined  to  be  angry  at  this  remark,  for  she  replied, "  You 
already  give  up  hope?  Well,  then,  marry  your  fat  Johann 
Adolf,  and  be  sure  that  my  curse  will  rest  on  you."  I  assured 


86  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

her  that  I  was  too  well  aware  what  was  best  for  my  own  ad- 
vantage not  to  know  all  the  evils  of  this  marriage,  and  that  I 
should  do  everything  in  my  power  to  prevent  its  taking  place. 
This  seemed  to  calm  her;  but  I  did  not  dare  say  anything 
more  on  the  subject  or  explain  my  views  to  her,  as  I  saw  that 
my  doing  so  annoyed  her.  The  queen,  however,  thought  much 
over  the  whole  question,  and  afterwards  said  to  me,  "  I  have 
thought  of  a  means  which  cannot  fail  to  help  us  in  attaining 
the  end  we  have  in  view.  My  son  must  assist  us.  He  too 
must  write  to  the  Queen  of  England,  and  promise  her  solemnly, 
on  condition  that  she  consents  to  your  marriage,  to  marry  no 
one  but  her  daughter,  the  Princess  Amelia."  I  was  allowed  to 
make  no  remark  to  this ;  and  my  brother,  who  came  into  the 
room  just  at  that  moment,  at  once  consented.  He  ardently 
wished  to  marry  an  English  princess,  in  order  to  have  support 
and  protection  from  further  ill-treatment,  lie  at  once  wrote 
this  luckless  letter,  which  the  queen  sent  off  secretly. 

My  position  was  a  very  sad  one.  The  Prince  of  Wales  was 
indifferent  to  me — indeed,  I  disliked  him,  and  it  was  my  moth- 
er's fault  that  I  did  so,  for  she  had  given  me  most  unfavorable 
descriptions  of  him.  "  lie  is  a  good-natured  prince,"  she  some- 
times said  to  me,  "  kind-hearted,  but  very  foolish.  If  you  have 
sense  enough  to  tolerate  his  mistresses,  you  will  be  able  to  do 
what  you  like  with  him." 

Such  a  man  would  have  suited  my  mother,  for  she  loved  to 
rule ;  but,  as  I  did  not  care  about  this,  I  was  in  a  very  different 
position.  My  ideas  of  marriage  were  very  different.  I  wished 
to  marry  a  prince  for  whom  I  could  entertain  a  real  respect, 
and  to  whom  I  could  look  up  as  to  a  true  friend.  I  wished 
that  our  mutual  love  and  esteem  should  guide  all  our  actions. 
My  desire  to  please  him  in  everything  would  result  from  these 
feelings.  The  notion  of  duty  excludes  a  wife's  feelings  of 
friendship  for  her  husband.  Where  real  love  exists,  nothing 
becomes  difficult  or  hard  when  it  is  done  to  please  the  object 
we  care  for.  I  can  now  say  this  from  personal  experience,  for 


MEMOIRS  OP  THE  MARGRAVINE  OP  BAIREUTH.        87 

Providence  granted  what  I  desired.  But  I  must  return  again 
to  the  subject  I  was  writing  about.  I  had  a  horror  of  this 
Duke  of  Weissenfels ;  my  father  and  mother  did  not  agree  on 
this  point.  The  one  had  the  power  on  his  side  and  the  other 
common-sense.  What  was  I  to  do  in  such  a  difficult  position  ? 
When  I  thought  over  it  all,  I  was  ready  to  despair;  for  which- 
ever way  I  turned  I  felt  I  should  be  the  victim  of  one  or  the 
other.  The  duke,  however,  took  his  departure,  and  we  were 
left  somewhat  in  peace. 

I  must  mention  a  little  occurrence  which  greatly  irritated 
our  persecutors.  Grurnkow  had  a  beautiful  house  at  Berlin, 
bought  for  him  by  the  king.  He  begged  the  queen  to  give 
him  her  portrait,  which  was  to  be  one  of  the  chief  ornaments 
of  his  house.  The  queen  promised  to  do  so.  She  had  lately 
had  herself  painted  for  the  King  of  Denmark,  and  as  the  pict- 
ure was  not  quite  finished,  she  ordered  a  copy  of  it  to  be  made 
for  Grumkow,  while  the  original  was  to  be  given  to  the  sover- 
eign. Grurnkow  came  one  day  to  thank  the  queen  for  her 
present,  and  talked  much  of  the  beauty  of  the  painting,  and  of 
its  being  one  of  the  best  portraits  that  the  artist  had  ever  exe- 
cuted. The  queen  said  in  a  whisper  to  me,  "  I  do  hope  that 
there  has  been  no  mistake,  and  that  he  has  not  got  the  original 
instead  of  the  copy,"  and  she  asked  him  straight  out  about  it. 
He  answered  her  that  as  he  had  an  original  portrait  of  the 
king,  he  had  thought  it  but  fair  to  have  the  same  of  her,  and 
that  consequently  he  had  asked  the  artist  to  give  him  the  orig- 
inal. "  And  who  gave  you  this  permission  ?"  the  queen  in- 
quired, "  I  have  never  honored  any  private  person  with  such  a 
present,  and  I  do  not  intend  to  make  an  exception  in  your  fa- 
vor." The  king  prevented  Grnmkow  from  replying  by  leaving 
the  table,  but  Grumkow  followed  the  queen,  entreating  her  to 
let  him  keep  the  picture.  Her  very  curt  refusal  resulted  in 
some  sharp  answers,  upon  which,  to  put  an  end  to  the  conver- 
sation, the  queen  withdrew. 

As  soon  as  the  king  had  gone  out  shooting,  which  he  did 


88  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

daily,  my  mother  sent  for  Count  Finkenstein,  to  whom  she  told 
the  whole  story. 

Count  Finkenstein  was  Grumkow's  sworn  enemy,  and  was 
delighted  at  having  an  opportunity  of  playing  him  a  trick. 
He  therefore  advised  the  queen  to  make  a  still  greater  fuss 
about  the  whole  business — to  send  several  of  her  servants  and 
demand  to  have  the  picture  back,  at  the  same  time  saying  that 
Grumkow  should  not  even  have  a  copy  till  he  had  learned  to 
behave  himself  towards  her  with  more  respect.  I  was  present 
at  this  conversation,  of  which  I  greatly  disapproved,  and  which 
I  thought  very  wrong.  Next  day  the  queen  carried  out  the 
advice  given  her  by  Count  Finkenstein.  Grumkow  sent  her 
word  that  he  possessed  so  many  interesting  portraits  of  far 
greater  princes  and  princesses  that  these  would  comfort  him 
for  the  loss  of  hers. 

Soon  after  this  we  returned  to  Berlin.  My  mother  had  con- 
stant interviews  with  the  English  envoy,  M.  de  Bourguait. 
Four  weeks  had  already  elapsed  since  she  had  written  to  the 
Queen  of  England,  and  in  spite  of  her  assumed  confidence  as 
to  the  expected  answer  she  was  terribly  anxious.  Grumkow 
was  greatly  imbittered  against  her.  Neither  he  nor  his  family 
went  near  her,  and  he  spoke  of  her  in  the  most  insolent  terms. 
He  went  so  far  as  to  write  to  the  king  and  insist  on  personal 
satisfaction  being  given  him  for  the  insult,  as  he  called  it,  which 
the  queen  had  offered  him.  I  do  not  know  what  good  spirit 
ruled  my  father  at  this  moment,  but  Grumkow  received  no  an- 
swer to  his  many  complaints.  Several  people  tried  to  put  in  a 
good  word  for  him  with  the  queen.  He  himself  even  offered 
her  apologies — a  step  which  he  made  the  king  believe  was  great- 
ly to  his  credit. 

At  last  the  long-expected  answer  from  England  arrived. 
The  Queen  of  England  wrote  that  both  she  and  her  husband 
were  much  inclined  to  strengthen  the  bands  which  united  the 
families  by  a  double  marriage,  but  that  this  could  not  be  defi- 
nitely settled  till  Parliament  had  been  consulted.  The  queen 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.  89 

at  the  same  time  received  a  private  letter,  encouraging  her  to 
remain  firm,  and  containing  many  other  suggestions,  which 
were  of  little  use  to  us  in  our  present  position.  A  letter  to 
my  brother  was  written  in  much  the  same  strain.  No  Medusa's 
head  ever  had  such  an  effect  on  any  one  as  these  letters  had  on 
my  mother.  She  trembled  to  show  them  to  the  king,  and  had 
nearly  determined  to  suppress  them  and  to  write  a  second  time 
to  England.  M.  de  Bourguait,  when  he  came  to  see  her,  in- 
formed her  that  he  had  received  much  the  same  messages  for 
the  king.  My  mother  then  spoke  quite  openly  to  him  about 
the  matter,  and  said  that  if  England  behaved  in  this  manner 
she  could  no  longer  answer  for  what  might  happen.  She  was 
prepared  for  endless  troubles  and  persecutions  on  the  king's 
return,  and  that  unless  she  were  speedily  helped  everything 
would  be  lost.  M.  de  Bourguait  endeavored  to  pacify  and 
calm  her  as  much  as  he  was  able. 

A  few  days  afterwards  the  king  arrived.  His  first  question 
was,  What  was  the  reply  from  England  ?  "  Here  it  is,"  the 
queen  replied,  with  the  greatest  composure;  "I  hope  you  will 
be  satisfied  with  it."  "  Satisfied  !"  he  cried,  after  having  read 
it,  "  how  can  I  be  satisfied  when  they  are  again  trying  to  de- 
ceive me?"  and  with  this  he  left  the  room  without  another 
word.  Immediately  afterwards  he  had  a  long  conversation 
with  Grumkow,  and  when  he  returned  to  us  we  could  observe 
nothing,  and  he  treated  us  most  kindly.  The  queen  was  great- 
ly relieved.  Not  I,  however;  for  I  knew  the  king  too  well, 
and  that  if  ^e  yas  driven  to  dissemble  he  was  far  worse  even 
than  during  his  violent  fits  of  passion.  He  did  not  remain 
long  at  Berlin,  but  soon  returned  to  Potsdam. 

A  new  epoch  began  with  the  year  1729.  M.  de  Lamotte, 
an  officer  in  the  Hanoverian  service,  and  a  near  relation  of  Von 
Sastot,  one  of  my  mother's  chamberlains,  came  to  Berlin.  He 
suddenly  arrived  at  Sastot's,  quite  secretly,  one  day.  "I  am 
the  bearer  of  a  most  important  confidential  message,"  he  said. 
"  You  must  hide  me  somewhere  in  your  house,  that  my  arrival 


90  MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

may  remain  unknown,  and  you  must  manage  that  one  of  my 
letters  reaches  the  king."  Sastot  promised  him  all  he  asked, 
and  then  inquired  if  his  business  were  good  or  evil.  "  It  will 
be  good  if  people  can  hold  their  tongues,  but  if  they  gossip  it 
will  be  evil.  However,  as  I  know  you  are  discreet,  and  as  I  re- 
quire your  help  in  obtaining  an  interview  with  the  queen,  I 
must  confide  all  to  you.  The  Prince  of  Wales  intends  being 
here  in  three  weeks  at  the  latest.  He  means  to  escape  secretly 
from  Hanover,  brave  his  father's  anger,  and  marry  the  princess. 
He  has  intrusted  me  with  the  whole  affair,  and  has  sent  me 
here  to  find  out  if  his  arrival  would  be  agreeable  to  the  king 
and  queen,  and  if  they  are  still  anxious  for  this  marriage.  If 
she  is  capable  of  keeping  a  secret,  and  has  no  suspicious  people 
about  her,  will  you  undertake  to  speak  to  the  queen  on  the 
subject?  Yet  before  doing  so,  and  in  order  to  run  no  risk, 
you  had  better  first  consult  with  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld, 
of  whose  discretion  I  am  sure.  She  will  be  your  guide." 

That  very  same  evening  Sastot  appeared  as  usual  in  the 
queen's  apartments,  who  was  not  holding  receptions.  He 
called  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  on  one  side  and  told  her  all 
that  had  passed  between  him  and  Lamotte,  and  added  that  he 
bad  not  been  able  to  speak  unreservedly  with  him  about  the 
affair,  as  he  was  afraid  of  telling  this  good  news  to  the  queen, 
because  he  knew  quite  well  that  she  would  at  once  confide  it 
all  to  that  wretched  Ramen,  who  would  immediately  communi- 
cate it  to  Seckendorf  and  his  creatures. 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  was  much  perturbed,  but  after 
having  well  considered  the  question  decided  that  Sastot  should 
speak  with  the  queen.  The  joy  this  news  caused  her  is  easily 
to  be  imagined.  She  at  once  communicated  them  to  Countess 
Kinkenstein  and  my  lady-in-waiting,*  who  both  implored  her 
to  keep  them  secret.  I  was  just  then  very  ill.  I  had  had  a 
bad  fainting- fit,  followed  by  violent  fever,  which  confined  me 

*  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld. 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.  91 

to  my  bed.  The  queen  desired  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  to 
prepare  me  by  degrees  for  this  happy  event,  of  which  she  then 
wished  to  speak  to  me  herself. 

The  next  morning  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  came  to 
drink  her  tea  by  my  bedside.  "I  cannot  think  what  has  come 
to  Sastot,"  she  said ;  "  he  dances  about,  sings,  and  is  full  of 
nonsense,  and  says  it  is  all  because  he  is  so  delighted  at  some 
good  news  he  has  heard,  which  he  will,  however,  tell  nobody." 

"Perhaps  he  has  taken  too  much,"  I  said,  "and  this  makes 
him  so  merry." 

"  Oh  no,"  she  replied,  "  he  declares  the  good  news  concerns 
you  !" 

"  Good  God  !"  I  cried,  "  what  good  news  can  I  expect  in  the 
position  in  which  I  am  placed,  and  how  can  Sastot  have  any- 
thing to  do  with  it  ?" 

"But,"  continued  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  " supposing 
he  had  received  the  news  direct  from  the  Prince  of  Wales 
himself?" 

"  Well,  would  that  be  such  great  happiness?" 

"Your  Royal  Highness  is  very  sinful,"  she  replied,  "and 
you  will  be  punished  for  it,  if  you  so  despise  a  prince  who 
risks  everything  for  your  sake.  What  do  you  want?  Do 
you  wish  to  fade  and  pine  away,  or  do  you  wish  to  marry  that 
delightful  Prince  of  Weissenfels  ?" 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  would  have  endured  anything 
that  this  marriage  might  be  accomplished.  It  was  the  only 
point  on  which  we  differed,  and  we  had  often  had  arguments 
on  the  subject.  I  now  laughed  at  her  speech,  without  taking 
much  heed  of  it.  I  thought  that  the  Prince  of  Wales  had 
most  probably  given  an  assurance  similar  to  that  which  my 
brother  had  given  the  Queen  of  England,  and  that  this  had 
caused  Sastot's  high  spirits.  When,  however,  the  queen  her- 
self came  to  me  with  this  pleasant  piece  of  news,  I  felt  in  a 
very  different  mood.  I  remained  dumb,  and  could  not  utter  a 
word.  My  mother  thought  it  the  result  of  my  satisfaction  at 


92  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

the  news.  "  I  shall  at  length  see  you  happy,  and  my  wishes 
realized  at  the  same  time — how  much  joy  at  once !"  I  kissed 
her  hands,  which  I  covered  with  tears.  "  You  are  crying,"  she 
exclaimed;  "what  is  the  matter?"  I  would  not  disturb  her 
happiness,  so  I  answered,  "  The  thought  of  leaving  you  dis- 
tresses me  more  than  all  the  crowns  of  the  world  could  delight 
me."  The  queen  was  only  the  more  tender  towards  me  in 
consequence,  and  then  left  me.  I  loved  this  dear  mother  truly, 
and  had  only  spoken  the  truth  to  her.  She  left  me  in  a  terri- 
ble state  of  mind.  I  was  cruelly  torn  between  my  affection  for 
her  and  my  repugnance  to  the  Prince  of  Wales;  but  I  deter- 
mined to  leave  all  to  Providence,  who  would  direct  my  ways. 

That  same  evening  the  queen  held  a  reception.  As  bad 
luck  would  have  it,  the  English  envoy  came  to  it,  and  began  at 
once  to  tell  her  all  the  news  he  had  received  from  his  court. 
The  conversation  grew  livelier  and  livelier,  and,  without  reflect- 
ing on  the  consequences,  the  queen  confided  to  him  the  whole 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales's  project.  M.  de  Bourguait,  with  in- 
tense surprise,  asked  her  if  it  were  all  true.  "  Certainly,"  she 
replied,  "  and  to  show  you  how  true  it  is,  he  has  sent  Lamotte 
here,  who  has  already  informed  the  king  of  everything." 

"Oh,  why  does  your  Majesty  tell  me  this?  I  am  wretched, 
for  I  must  prevent  it."  Greatly  frightened,  my  mother  asked 
him  why  he  must  do  so.  "  Because  I  am  my  sovereign's  en- 
voy ;  because  my  office  requires  of  me  that  I  should  inform 
him  of  so  important  a  matter.  I  shall  send  off  a  messenger 
to  England  this  very  evening.  Would  to  God  I  had  known 
nothing  of  all  this!"  The  queen's  prayers  and  entreaties  were 
all  of  no  avail,  for  he  left  her  to  despatch  the  messenger.'  My 
mother's  consternation  was  indescribable.  She  was  in  utter 
despair.  Countess  Finkenstein  came  the  next  morning  and 
told  me  all  that  had  happened.  The  only  means  we  had  in 
our  power  of  preventing  greater  misfortune  was  to  endeavor  to 
keep  it  all  from  the  king.  At  the  end  of  a  week,  the  king 
came  to  Berlin  to  receive  the  Prince  of  Wales.  He  had  had  a 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OB"    BAIREUTH.  93 

secret  interview  with  Lamotte,  after  which  the  long  and  ardently 
desired  arrival  of  the  prince  was  daily  expected.  But  this  joy 
was  doomed  to  be  turned  to  sorrow.  A  courier  brought  the 
news  that,  at  the  express  command  of  his  father,  the  Prince  of 
Wales  had  suddenly  left  Hanover  for  England.  This  news  fell 
on  the  king  and  queen  like  a  thunder-bolt. 

But  it  is  time  that  I  should  now  unravel  this  mystery.  The 
English  nation  were  most  anxious  for  the  Prince  of  Wales's 
presence  in  England,  and  had  incessantly  begged  the  king  to 
grant  it.  The  king,  on  the  other  hand,  did  not  feel  at  all  in- 
clined to  do  so,  as  he  feared  he  might  suffer  in  personal  con- 
sideration, and  that  the  prince's  arrival  in  England  would  raise 
an  opposition  against  him  which  might  lead  to  disturbances. 
In  order  to  have  some  plausible  reason  against  his  presence  in 
England,  the  king  had  himself  written  to  the  prince,  suggest- 
ing his  going  to  Berlin  and  marrying  me.  This  step  he  in- 
tended to  use  afterwards  to  bring  about  a  rupture  with  the 
prince,  by  which  means  he  could  keep  him  several  years  longer 
at  Hanover.  The  prince,  who  ardently  desired  the  alliance 
with  me,  was  only  too  delighted  to  obey  his  father's  wishes. 
The  sudden  arrival  of  Bourguait's  messenger  spoiled  every- 
thing. This  messenger  was  sent  to  the  Secretary  of  State. 
Nothing  remained  to  the  king,  who  was  anxious  that  no  sus- 
picion should  be  aroused  in  England,  but  to  desire  the  prince 
to  return.  Poor  Lamotte  became  the  innocent  victim  of  all 
this.  He  had  to  spend  two  years  in  the  fortress  of  Hameln, 
and  was  obliged  to  leave  the  Hanoverian  service.  He  after- 
wards entered  the  Prussian  army,  where  he  still  commands  a 
regiment. 

My  father  was  greatly  incensed  at  again  finding  himself 
duped  by  England.  He  returned  to  Potsdam  soon  after  this 
affair  was  settled,  and  we  shortly  followed  him. 

Immediately  after  our  arrival  my  father  had  a  violent  attack 
of  gout,  which  troubled  him  for  some  time.  This  illness,  added 
to  his  displeasure  at  his  disappointed  hopes,  made  his  temper 


94  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

unbearable.  I  was  called  nothing  else  by  him  but  the  "  Eng- 
lish canaille"  and  he  ill-treated  me  and  my  brother  in  a  shock- 
ing manner.  We  were  not  allowed  to  leave  him  for  one  single 
moment  during  the  whole  day.  We  took  all  our  meals  near 
his  bedside,  and  to  torment  us  still  more  he  let  us  have  only 
those  things  to  eat  for  which  we  had  an  absolute  dislike.  But, 
good  or  bad,  we  were  obliged  to  swallow  them  down,  and  run 
the  risk  of  being  ill  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  Not  a  single  day 
passed  without  some  unfortunate  occurrence,  and  we  could  not 
lift  up  our  eyes  without  beholding  some  unhappy  being  who 
was  being  tormented.  The  king  was  of  too  impatient  a  nature 
to  remain  long  in  bed,  so  he  sat  in  an  arm-chair,  in  which  he 
had  himself  wheeled  about  the  Castle.  He  held  a  crutch  in 
each  hand  to. support  himself,  and  we  followed  this  triumphal 
car  like  wretched  prisoners  expecting  their  sentence. 

On  one  occasion,  when  his  temper  was  more  than  usually 
bad,  he  told  the  queen  that  he  had  received  letters  from  Ans- 
pach,  in  which  the  Margrave  announced  his  arrival  at  Berlin 
for  the  beginning  of  May.  He  was  coming  there  for  the  pur- 
pose of  marrying  my  sister,  and  one  of  his  ministers  would  ar- 
rive previously  with  the  betrothal  ring.  My  father  asked  my 
sister  whether  she  were  pleased  at  this  prospect,  and  how  she 
would  arrange  her  household.  Now,  rny  sister  had  always 
made  a  point  of  telling  him  whatever  came  into  her  head,  even 
the  greatest  home-truths,  and  he  had  never  taken  her  outspo- 
kenness amiss.  On  this  occasion,  therefore,  relying  on  former 
experience,  she  answered  him  as  follows :  "  When  I  have  a 
house  of  my  own  I  shall  take  care  to  have  a  well-appointed 
dinner-table,  better  than  yours  is,  and  if  I  have  children  of  my 
own  I  shall  not  plague  them  as  you  do  yours,  and  force  them 
to  eat  things  they  thoroughly  dislike  !" 

"What  is  amiss  with  my  dinner-table?1'  the  king  inquired, 
getting  very  red  in  the  face.  "  You  ask  what  is  the  matter 
with  it,"  my  sister  replied  ;  "there  is  not  enough  on  it  for  us 
to  cat,  and  what  there  is  is  cabbage  and  carrots,  which  we  dc- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  95 

test."  Her  first  answer  had  already  angered  my  father,  but 
now  he  gave  vent  to  his  fury.  But  instead  of  punishing  my 
sister  he  poured  it  all  on  my  mother,  my  brother,  and  myself. 
To  begin  with  he  threw  his  plate  at  my  brother's  head,  who 
would  have  been  struck  had  he  not  got  out  of  the  way ;  a  sec- 
ond one  he  threw  at  me,  which  I  also  happily  escaped ;  then 
torrents  of  abuse  followed  these  first  signs  of  hostility.  He 
reproached  the  queen  with  having  brought  up  her  children  so 
badly.  "  You  will  curse  your  mother,"  he  said  to  my  brother, 
"  for  having  made  you  such  a  good-for-nothing  creature !  A 
man  was  once  condemned  to  death  in  Carthage  for  various 
crimes,"  he  continued,  "and  as  he  was  being  led  to  the  place 
of  execution,  he  asked  to  be  allowed  to  speak  to  his  mother. 
While  pretending  to  whisper  to  her,  he  bit  a  piece  out  of  her 
ear,  saying,  at  the  same  time, '  I  treat  you  like  this,  that  you 
may  serve  as  an  example  to  all  mothers  that  do  not  bring  up 
their  children  virtuously.'  You  can  do  the  same,"  my  father 
continued,  still  addressing  himself  to  my  brother,  and  with  this 
remark  he  let  himself  be  wheeled  away  in  his  chair.  As  my 
brother  and  I  passed  near  him  to  leave  the  room,  he  hit  out  at 
us  with  his  crutch.  Happily  we  escaped  the  blow,  for  it  would 
certainly  have  struck  us  down,  and  we  at  last  escaped  without 
harm  from  the  room.  I  had  been  so  upset  by  this  scene  that 
I  trembled  all  over,  and  was  obliged  to  sit  down  to  avoid  faint- 
ing. My  mother,  who  came  after  us,  comforted  us  as  best  she 
could,  and  endeavored  to  persuade  us  to  return  to  the  king. 
We  were,  however,  not  the  least  inclined  to  do  this.  The 
scene  with  the  plates  and  the  crutch  had  frightened  us  too 
much.  At  length  we  were  obliged  to  do  so,  and  we  found  the 
king  conversing  quietly  with  his  officers. 

I  felt  quite  ill,  nevertheless,  and  fainted  away  in  the  queen's 
room.  My  mother's  maid  exclaimed,  on  seeing  me,  "  Good 
gracious,  your  Royal  Highness,  what  is  the  matter  ?  You  look 
dreadful !"  I  looked  in  the  glass,  and  saw  that  my  face  and 
neck  were  covered  with  red  spots.  I  told  her  I  had  been  very 


96  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

much  agitated,  and  that  this  was  the  result.  I  fainted  again 
several  times.  The  red  spots  disappeared  as  soon  as  I  was  in 
the  cold  air,  appearing  again  in  the  heat  of  the  room.  I  was 
obliged  to  keep  about  as  best  I  could,  as  I  was  unable  to  get  to 
bed.  That  night  I  was  attacked  by  violent  fever,  which  left 
me  so  weak  next  morning  that  I  was  obliged  to  ask  my  moth- 
er to  excuse  me  from  coming  to  her.  She  sent  me  word  that 
dead  or  alive  I  must  go  to  her.  I  then  sent  word  that  I  had 
a  rash,  which  made  it  impossible.  She,  however,  repeated  her 
command,  and  I  was  carried  into  her  room,  where  I  went  from 
one  fainting  fit  into  another.  In  this  condition  I  was  dragged 
to  the  king.  My  sister,  seeing  that  1  was  ready  to  give  up  the 
ghost,  said  to  the  king,  "  I  beseech  you,  dear  father,  let  my  sis- 
ter return  to  her  room ;  she  has  fever,  and  cannot  even  stand." 
The  king  asked  me  if  this  were  true.  "  You  look  very  ill,"  he 
said,  "but  I  will  cure  you,"  and  he  forced  me  to  drink  a  whole 
gobletful  of  very  strong  old  Rhine  wine.  My  rash  had  gone 
in,  and  I  was  fighting  with  death.  I  had  no  sooner  drunk  the 
wine  than  I  began  to  be  delirious,  and  begged  my  mother  to 
have  me  taken  to  my  room.  This  she  granted  on  condition 
that  I  would  leave  it  again  in  the  evening. 

I  laid  myself  down  without  taking  off  my  head-dress,  but  no 
sooner  was  I  in  bed  than  the  violence  of  the  fever  deprived  me 
of  my  reason.  The  doctor  who  was  called  in  pronounced  me 
to  be  suffering  from  an  inflammatory  fever,  and  gave  me  three 
remedies  not  at  all  suitable  to  my  present  illness.  From  time 
to  time  I  recovered  consciousness,  and  then  I  prayed  that  God 
would  take  me  to  Himself.  Amid  bitter  tears  I  said  to  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Sonnsfeld,  "  The  many  sufferings  I  have  been 
through  have  made  me  indifferent  to  this  world,  and  now  Provi- 
dence will  grant  me  the  highest  bliss.  I  am  the  cause  of  all 
my  mother's  and  brother's  sorrows ;  my  death  will  put  an  end 
to  these.  If  I  die,  promise  me  to  say  two  things  in  my  name 
to  the  king — first,  that  I  beg  ho  will  restore  me  his  affections; 
and,  secondly,  implore  him  to  be  kinder  towards  my  mother 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  97 

and  my  brother."  I  lay  for  thirty-six  hours  between  life  and 
death,  and  at  last  small-pox  declared  itself. 

The  king  had  never  once  inquired  after  me  since  the  com- 
mencement of  my  illness.  As  soon,  however,  as  he  heard  the 
nature  of  my  complaint  he  sent  his  court-surgeon  to  find  out 
if  I  really  had  small-pox.  This  rude  personage  said  many  un- 
kind things  to  me  in  the  king's  name,  besides  being  most  re- 
pulsive in  his  own  behavior.  At  any  other  time  this  would 
have  provoked  my  anger,  but  I  was  now  far  too  ill  to  notice  his 
insolence.  Upon  the  doctor's  confirming  the  statement  that  I 
had  the  small-pox  I  was  put  into  quarantine.  All  communica- 
tion with  my  rooms  was  cut  off,  and  nobody  about  the  king 
and  queen  was  allowed  to  come  near  me.  I  felt  that  I  was  be- 
ing treated  like  a  plague-stricken  creature.  My  governess  and 
my  maid  were  the  only  attendants  I  had.  Though  I  lay  in  an 
icy  cold  room,  deserted  by  the  whole  world,  I  had  the  comfort 
of  my  brother's  visits.  He  had  had  the  small-pox,  and  came 
daily  to  spend  with  me  what  spare  time  he  had.  The  queen 
sent  incessantly  to  inquire  after  me,  but  was  not  allowed  to  see 
me.  For  nine  days  I  was  as  ill  as  I  could  be.  All  the  symp- 
toms seemed  to  point  towards  a  fatal  termination,  and  those 
who  saw  me  thought  I  should  be  marked  for  life.  I  escaped 
death,  however,  and  not  a  trace  remained  of  this  fearful  mal- 
ady. 

Meanwhile  M.  von  Bremer,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  Mar- 
grave of  Anspach,  arrived  at  Berlin.  My  sister's  betrothal  by 
proxy  then  took  place,  the  ceremony  being  of  the  simplest  de- 
scription. The  king  had  got  rid  of  his  gout  and  of  his  bad 
temper,  preserving  the  latter  towards  me  alone.  That  charm- 
ing Holzendorf  *  never  entered  my  room  without  bringing  me 
some  disagreeable  message  from  him.  This  bad  man  was  in 
the  very  highest  favor,  and  everybody  bowed  before  him.  He 
used  his  advantages,  however,  to  do  as  much  harm  as  he  could, 

*  The  king's  court-surgeon. 


98  MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

particularly  to  the  queen,  ray  brother,  and  myself.  He  was 
Seckendorf's  creature,  and  that  says  volumes. 

My  father  was  now  kinder  towards  my  brother,  but  merely 
because  he  thought  it  politic  to  be  so,  and  because  Grumkow, 
into  whose  hands  he  had  completely  fallen,  advised  him  to  be 
so.  Count  Finkenstein  and  Colonel  Kalkstein  were  in  Grum- 
kow's  way,  and  prevented  his  carrying  out  his  plans.  They 
were,  therefore,  to  be  got  rid  of  under  the  pretext  that  my 
brother  no  longer  required  governors.  He  persuaded  the  king 
to  agree  to  their  discharge,  and  succeeded.  The  two  govern- 
ors were  dismissed  in  an  honorable  manner,  both  of  them  re- 
ceiving a  good  pension  for  their  services.  They  were  replaced 
by  two  officers,  who  had  not  the  slightest  power  over  my  broth- 
er. The  one  was  Colonel  Rochow,  the  other  M.  von  Kaiser- 
ling.  The  former,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  course  of  these  me- 
moirs, was  no  genius,  and  the  other,  while  exceedingly  clever, 
had  no  religion  of  any  kind.  He  had  read  a  great  deal,  and 
boasted  of  being  somewhat  of  a  poet.  It  will  be  easily  under- 
stood that  my  brother  infinitely  preferred  Kaiserling  to  Roch- 
ow. The  former's  love  of  science  and  learning  made  him  a 
very  agreeable  companion.  They  had  not  long  been  together 
before  the  conversation  turned  on  religious  subjects.  Kaiser- 
ling  raised  doubts  in  my  brother's  mind.  These  doubts  were, 
as  I  shall  hereafter  show,  indelibly  strengthened  by  another 
person. 

My  brother  came  to  me  every  day,  and  we  occupied  our- 
selves in  reading  and  writing.  I  remember  well  how  we  read 
Scarron's  comic  novel,  and  made  satires  from  it  applicable  to 
the  king's  entourage.  We  called  Grumkow  La  Rancune ;  the 
Margrave  of  Schwedt,  who  had  reappeared  with  his  pretensions, 
Saldague ;  Seckendorf,  La  Rapiniere.  We  did  not  even  spare 
the  king,  but  I  must  not  say  which  part  we  assigned  to  him. 
We  showed  our  performance  to  the  queen,  who  was  greatly 
amused  at  it.  I  fear  we  deserved  a  severe  reprimand.  Chil- 
dren ought  never  to  lose  sight  of  the  respect  and  honor  they 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  99 

owe  their  parents.  1  have  reproached  myself  a  thousand  times 
since  for  acting  so  much  against  this  precept.  Our  youth, 
and  the  approval  our  efforts  at  authorship  met  with,  must  to 
some  extent  be  our  excuse. 

Madame  de  Bouvillon  was  not  forgotten  in  our  satirical  nov- 
el ;  we  gave  her  name  to  the  queen's  mistress  of  the  robes, 
whom  we  thought  she  resembled.  We  often  joked  in  her 
presence  about  it,  so  that  she  became  curious  to  know  who  this 
Madame  de  Bouvillon  was.  I  told  her  that  the  Queen  of 
Spain's  "  Camerera  Majors "  were  called  so,  and  they  all  had 
to  be  of  this  family.  Six  weeks  after  this,  at  one  of  the 
queen's  receptions,  the  conversation  turned  on  the  Spanish 
Court,  and  my  mother's  mistress  of  robes  thought  she  could 
not  do  better  than  show  the  world  how  much  she  knew  about 
it  than  by  saying  that  all  "  Camerera  Majors  "  were  of  the  fam- 
ily of  Bouvillon.  Everybody  laughed,  and  she  found  out  that 
she  had  been  taken  in.  After  inquiring  further,  and  being 
made  acquainted  with  the  story  of  the  heroine  to  whom  I  had 
given  the  rank  of  "Camerera  Major,"  she  perceived  at  once 
that  I  had  made  fun  of  her,  and  was  so  extremely  angry  that 
I  had  the  greatest  trouble  in  appeasing  her.  I  was  very  fond 
of  her,  and  knew  her  worth,  and  what  I  had  done  was  done  to 
amuse  the  queen.  Since  then  I  have  left  off  turning  people 
into  ridicule :  it  is  wiser  to  find  fault  with  one's  self.  How 
easily  the  faults  of  others  are  perceived  by  us,  while  to  our 
own  we  are  blind !  But  I  must  return  to  my  story. 

As  the  Margrave  of  Anspach  was  expected  in  a  week,  and 
as  neither  he  nor  my  sister  had  had  the  small-pox,  I  was  sent 
away  from  Potsdam.  Before  my  departure  I  went  to  see  the 
king,  but  my  mother  would  not  allow  me  to  remain  long  with 
him.  He  was  generally  so  unkind  to  me  that,  as  I  had  not 
yet  quite  recovered  my  strength,  the  queen  was  afraid  the  agi- 
tation would  be  bad  for  me.  When  I  arrived  in  Berlin  I 
found  the  Countess  Amelie  was  engaged  to  be  married  to  Vie- 
reck,  the  minister  of  state.  Her  old  lover  had  died  a  year  ago 


100         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

in  England.  She  had  received  the  news  while  attending  the 
Court  circle,  and  it  affected  her  so  much  that  she  fell  down  in 
a  swoon.  This  occurrence  did  not  increase  her  favor  with  the 
queen.  Countess  Amelie,  however,  was  not  long  in  getting 
over  her  loss.  The  king  and  queen  soon  joined  me  at  Berlin, 
with  the  rest  of  the  family. 

My  sister's  wedding  took  place  amid  great  pomp  and  re- 
joicing. She  took  her  departure  with  her  husband  a  fortnight 
afterwards,  and  I  was  then  set  at  liberty. 

We  did  not  remain  long  in  Berlin,  but  joined  the  king  at 
Wusterhausen,  where  the  quarrels  began  afresh.  Not  a  day 
passed  without  some  scene  or  other.  The  king's  anger  against 
my  brother  and  myself  reached  such  a  pitch  that,  with  the 
exception  of  the  hours  for  our  meals,  we  were  banished  both 
from  his  presence  and  the  queen's.  He  scarcely  allowed  us 
the  necessaries  of  life,  and  we  were  tormented  with  hunger 
from  morning  till  night.  Our  only  food  was  coffee  and  milk, 
and  during  dinner  and  supper-time  we  were  honored  with  epi- 
thets anything  but  pleasing.  Of  an  afternoon  we  went  secretly 
to  see  the  queen,  and  while  we  were  with  her  she  always  had 
her  spies  watching  to  inform  her  in  good  time  of  the  king's 
approach.  One  day,  while  we  were  with  her,  she  had  not, 
through  some  carelessness  or  other,  had  early  enough  notice  of 
my  father's  return.  There  was  only  one  door  to  the  room  in 
which  we  were,  so  that  we  had  to  make  up  our  minds  at  once 
what  to  do.  My  brother  hid  himself  in  a  cupboard,  and  I 
slipped  under  my  mother's  bed.  We  had  scarcely  had  time  to 
do  so  before  the  king  entered  the  room.  He  was  unfortu- 
nately very  tired,  sat  down,  and  went  to  sleep  for  two  hours. 
I  was  in  a  most  uncomfortable  position,  and  nearly  smothered 
hiding  under  that  low  bed.  I  peeped  out  from  time  to  time 
to  discover  if  the  king  was  still  asleep.  Anybody  who  had 
witnessed  this  occurrence  must  have  laughed. 

At  last  the  king  woke  up  and  left  the  room  ;  we  crept  from 
our  hiding-places,  and  implored  the  queen  never  to  expose  us 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH.        101 

to  a  similar  "  comedy  "  again.  I  often  begged  the  queen  to 
allow  me  to  write  to  the  king,  asking  him  the  reason  of  his 
anger  against  me,  and  begging  his  forgiveness.  She  would  not 
let  me  do  so,  however.  She  said  it  would  be  of  no  use  : 
"Your  father  would  only  grant  you  his  favor  on  condition 
that  you  married  either  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt  or  the  Duke 
of  Weissenfels."  I  quite  saw  the  force  of  these  arguments, 
and  had  to  submit. 

A  few  peaceful  days  followed  these  storms,  but,  alas,  only 
to  make  way  for  still  worse.  The  king  went  to  Libnow,  where 
he  met  the  King  of  Poland  and  his  son.  In  spite  of  all  the 
difficulties  that  had  been  placed  in  his  way,  my  father  still 
hoped  to  arrange  a  marriage  between  me  and  the  King  of  Po- 
land. The  Crown  Prince  of  Poland  persistently  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  the  entreaties  of  both  sovereigns,  and  was  not  to  be  in- 
duced to  sign  the  marriage  contract.  My  father,  finding  him- 
self forced  to  give  up  this  plan,  deemed  it  right  at  once  to  sol- 
emnly betroth  me,  during  the  King  of  Poland's  visit,  to  the 
Duke  of  Weissenfels.  On  his  return  to  Wusterhansen  my  fa- 
ther passed  through  the  small  town  of  Dam,  which  belonged 
to  this  prince,  and  stopped  there  a  few  days.  During  his  ab- 
sence we  had  remained  at  Wusterhausen,  and  consequently  en- 
joyed some  peace  and  quiet ;  but  this  all  came  to  an  end  as 
soon  as  the  king  returned.  He  never  saw  my  brother  without 
threatening  him  with  his  stick,  and  this  latter  often  said  to 
me  that  he  would  respectfully  bear  all  ill-treatment  save  blows, 
and  that  if  it  came  to  these  he  would  run  away. 

The  page  Keith  had  meanwhile  become  an  officer  in  a  regi- 
ment quartered  in  Cleves.  We  were  delighted  at  his  pro- 
motion, as  we  hoped  his  removal  would  have  a  good  effect  on 
my  brother,  and  that  he  would  in  consequence  give  up  many 
of  his  wild  ways.  Alas !  he  unfortunately  found  a  far  worse 
favorite  in  the  son  of  Field  -  marshal  von  Katt,  grandson  of 
Field-marshal  von  Wartensleben. 

His  father  had  had  him  very  well  educated,  and  had  intended 


102        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

him,  on  account  of  his  cleverness,  for  the  civil  service.  This 
plan  did  not  please  the  king,  so  young  Katt  entered  the  army, 
in  which  he  held  the  rank  of  captain  of  gendarmes.  His  con- 
stant intercourse  with  the  French  envoy,  Count  von  Rotenburg, 
his  travels,  industry,  and  study  had  given  refinement  both  to  his 
mind  and  his  manners.  He  was  extremely  cultivated,  and  a 
most  agreeable  social  companion.  His  appearance  was  not 
attractive.  He  was  very  plain,  with  a  dark  complexion,  much 
marked  by  small-pox.  His  thick,  black  eyebrows  were  drawn 
down  low  over  his  eyes,  and  met  above  his  nose.  This  gave 
him  a  most  unfortunate  expression.  Katt  was  very  wild,  and 
boasted  of  being  very  strong-minded.  It  was  Katt's  influence 
which  destroyed  all  religious  belief  in  my  brother.  I  had  ob- 
served this  in  his  conversations,  and  had  also  often  argued  with 
him  about  his  fatalist  views.  He  maintained  that,  being  once 
predestined  to  sin,  it  was  impossible  to  escape  from  it.  I  never, 
however,  for  a  moment  thought  that  he  intended  with  this  one 
theory  to  overthrow  all  religious  belief. 

We  at  last  left  Wusterhausen  to  return  to  Berlin.  As  the 
king  had  not  again  mentioned  my  marriage  with  the  Duke  of 
Weissenfels,  the  queen  thought  all  was  safe.  One  evening  she 
received  a  letter  from  my  brother,  which  he  sent  her  secretly, 
in  which  he  told  her  of  his  utter  despair.  The  king  had  so 
cruelly  ill-used  him  and  beaten  him  so  terribly,  that  he  thought 
he  would  have  killed  him.  He  said  his  patience  was  at  an  end, 
that  he  was  too  proud  to  submit  to  such  treatment,  and  that  if 
his  sufferings  were  not  soon  put  an  end  to  by  England,  he 
should  be  obliged  reluctantly  to  take  other  means  to  find  relief. 
It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  effect  this  communication  had  on  my 
mother  and  myself.  Our  grief  was  indescribable.  I  foresaw 
the  saddest  results;  for  I  understood  my  brother  better  than  the 
queen  did,  and  knew  that  the  means  he  hinted  at  meant  flight. 
I  ventured  to  implore  my  mother  to  let  the  king  have  his  own 
way,  and  not  oppose  him.  She  saw  what  divisions  there  were 
in  the  family,  I  continued,  how  my  brother  was  ill-treated,  and 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGBAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        103 

how  imbittered  the  king  had  become  during  the  last  year.  I 
was  quite  ready  to  become  the  victim  of  it  all,  I  said,  and  there 
was  no  sacrifice,  however  great,  which  I  would  not  gladly  make 
were  it  to  put  an  end  to  the  misery  which  my  brother  had  to 
endure.  My  mother  was  extremely  angry  with  this  speech  of 
mine.  "Do  you  wish  to  break  my  heart,  and  commit  actions 
which  are  unworthy  both  of  myself  and  of  you  ?  If  so,  do  what 
you  like;  but  my  curse  will  be  upon  you,  and  I  disown  you  from 
henceforth."  She  quite  frightened  me  by  her  violence  in  say- 
ing this,  and  I  had  the  greatest  trouble  in  calming  her  and 
making  my  peace  with  her. 

Since  the  Countess  Arnelie's  marriage  Mademoiselle  von 
Billow,  first  lady-in-waiting,  had  taken  her  place,  and  become  a 
great  favorite  with  the  queen.  This  lady's  character  differed 
greatly  from  that  of  her  predecessor.  She  was  kind-hearted 
and  obliging,  and  did  no  one  any  harm.  Her  only  fault  was 
love  of  intrigue.  She  was  on  very  good  terms  with  M.  de 
Bourguait,  the  English  envoy,  and  his  wife,  and  still  more  so 
with  M.  von  Kniephausen,  first  Secretary  of  State  at  the  Court 
of  Berlin,  in  consequence  of  which  it  was  easy  for  the  queen 
also  to  obtain  information  about  affairs  of  the  most  confidential 
nature.  Ramen  meanwhile  continued  her  mischievous  work. 
She  brought  the  queen  false  news  about  the  king,  while  at  the 
same  time  she  betrayed  her  to  him.  Since  my  brother's  letter, 
the  queen  did  not  know  to  which  saint  she  was  to  pray  for 
help.  Eversmann,  whom  I  have  already  mentioned  several  times, 
was  the  king's  especial  favorite.  The  queen  was  well  aware 
that  this  creature  was  in  Seckendorf  and  Grumkow's  pay,  and 
that  he  did  his  utmost  to  create  a  bad  feeling  between  the 
king  and  his  family.  She  determined,  therefore,  at  all  hazards 
to  win  him  over  to  her  side,  and  spoke  to  M.  de  Bourguait  on 
the  subject,  to  obtain  his  co  -  operation.  He  could,  however, 
give  her  only  five  hundred  thalers  (£75).  She  herself  added  the 
same  amount.  After  speaking  with  Eversmann  in  a  most  friend- 
ly manner,  and  promising  him  endless  favors,  she  gave  him  the 


104        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

money,  remarking  at  the  same  time  that  it  was  small  in  com- 
parison to  the  advantages  he  would  reap  if  he  would  join  her 
party  and  do  his  duty.  Having  promised  her  all  she  asked  for, 
Eversmann  at  once  went  and  betrayed  the  whole  transaction 
to  the  king.  He  boasted  greatly  of  this  fresh  proof  of  his 
devotion  to  him.  My  father's  anger  against  my  mother  was 
only  increased  by  this  incident,  and  we  sank  into  depths  out 
of  which  we  could  only  with  difficulty  extricate  ourselves. 

I  now  arrive  at  a  most  critical  period  in  these  memoirs — the 
year  1730,  which  certainly  was  the  cruelest  in  my  life.  The 
king  came  to  Berlin  for  the  fetes  of  the  New  Year.  He  was 
in  an  excellent  temper  during  the  whole  time  he  was  there,  and 
the  subject  of  my  marriage  was  never  touched  on.  We  had 
found  means  of  pacifying  my  brother,  and  flattered  ourselves 
that  after  having  gone  through  so  many  troubles  we  should 
at  last  have  some  peace.  But  who  knows  the  recesses  of 
man's  heart,  and  who  can  rely  on  constant  happiness?  The 
king  left  Berlin  and  returned  to  Potsdam.  A  few  days  after 
Count  Finkenstein  received  a  letter  from  him,  with  an  order 
which  he  was  not  to  open  except  in  the  presence  of  Grumkow 
and  Field-marshal  von  Bork,  both  of  whom  were  ministers  of 
state.  These  two  gentlemen  received  a  royal  command  to  go 
to  Count  Finkenstein.  As  soon  as  they  had  assembled  they 
together  read  the  order,  which  enclosed  a  letter  from  the  king 
to  the  queen.  The  order  ran  as  follows : 

"As  soon  as  you  three — viz.,  Grumkow,  Bork,  and  Finken- 
stein— have  assembled  together,  you  are  to  go  to  the  queen, 
and  tell  her  in  my  name  that  I  am  tired  of  her  intrigues,  that 
I  no  longer  intend  to  remain  England's  plaything  (a  part  which 
dishonors  me  and  my  family),  that  I  am  determined  to  spite 
every  one,  and  settle  my  daughter  Wilhelmine's  marriage ;  but 
that,  as  an  act  of  great  clemency  towards  my  wife,  I  give 
her  permission  once  more  to  write  to  England,  and  ask  if 
they  will  consent  to  the  marriage  with  the  Prince  of  Wales. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        105 

If,  however,  the  answer  does  not  meet  my  wishes,  then  the 
queen  must  give  me  her  word  of  honor  no  longer  to  oppose 
my  daughter's  marriage.  She  can  have  her  choice  between 
the  Margrave  of  Schwedt  and  the  Duke  of  Weissenfels.  If, 
on  the  other  hand,  she  does  not  agree  to  these  conditions,  tell 
the  queen  that  I  shall  break  with  her  forever,  and  that  she  can 
retire  with  her  worthless  daughter,  whom  I  shall  no  longer 
acknowledge,  to  her  dower- house  of  Oranienburg.  Do  your 
duty  as  devoted  subjects,  and  use  all  your  influence  to  bring 
about  the  queen's  submission  to  my  commands.  I  shall  know 
how  to  reward  you ;  but  if,  on  the  other  hand,  you  fail,  you 
and  your  families  shall  suffer  for  it. 

"  I  remain,  your  affectionate  king, 

"  FREDERICK  WILLIAM." 

As  soon  as  they  had  read  the  letter,  Grnmkow,  Bork,  and 
Finkenstein  went  to  the  queen.  She  was  quite  unprepared  for 
this  visit;  Count  Finkenstein  had,  however,  found  means  to 
let  her  know  of  it.  They  handed  her  the  king's  letter,  which 
was  couched  in  such  harsh  terms  that  I  will  pass  over  it  in 
silence.  They  then  showed  her  the  king's  order  addressed  to 
them,  and  spoke  with  her  about  it  as  they  were  desired. 
Grumkow  distinguished  himself  much  on  this  occasion.  He 
followed  the  devil's  example.  Having  tried  in  vain'  to  con- 
vince her  on  political  grounds  why  it  was  for  the  king's  ad- 
vantage that  she  should  make  this  sacrifice,  he  tried  to  quote 
the  Bible  to  her.  He  said  that  it  was  written  there  that  wives 
should  be  in  "submission  to  their  husbands,"  and  that  as  re- 
garded the  obedience  due  from  children  to  their  parents,  they 
owed  it  to  their  father  above  all  things ;  that  a  father  had  the 
right,  too,  of  forcing  his  daughter  to  marry  against  her  inclina- 
tions. The  queen  answered  him  by  quoting  the  example  of 
Bethuel,  who  replied  as  follows  to  Abraham's  servants  when 
they  came  to  ask  for  Rebekah  as  wife  for  Isaac:  '"Call  the 
damsel,'  and  they  called  Rebekah  and  said  unto  her,  '  Wilt  thou 


106        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

go  with  this  man  ?' "  She  knew,  the  queen  added,  what  obe- 
dience a  wife  owed  her  husband,  but  she  confined  herself  to 
submitting  to  all  reasonable  demands,  and  to  those  the  justice 
and  fairness  of  which  could  not  be  disputed.  But  that  neither 
justice  nor  fairness  existed  in  wishing  to  marry  me  to  a  coarse, 
dissolute  creature,  stamped  with  the  traces  of  all  his  vices.  He 
was  the  youngest  prince  of  the  House  of  Brandenburg,  a  Polish 
general,  dependent  on  an  annuity,  on  which  lie  was  scarcely 
able  to  subsist,  still  less  to  keep  me  as  befitted  rny  rank.  His 
age  was  out  of  all  proportion  to  mine,  his  appearance  most  un- 
pleasant, and,  finally,  he  did  not  possess  a  single  advantage 
which  could  make  him  attractive.  As  regarded  the  king's 
threats  to  separate  himself  from  her,  the  queen  continued,  these 
went  for  nothing,  because  that  matter  did  not  lie  in  the  king's 
power.  She  had  never  given  him  the  least  cause  for  complaint, 
either  by  her  behavior  or  her  actions,  and  therefore  she  con- 
sidered it  beneath  her  to  notice  this  portion  of  his  letter.  The 
queen  would,  she  said,  write  to  England,  as  the  king  desired, 
but  she  would  never  give  consent  to  either  of  the  other  two 
marriages.  She  would  rather  see  me  dead  than  plunged  into 
such  misery.  In  conclusion,  my  mother  said  she  felt  indis- 
posed, and  had  expected  that  greater  consideration  would  have 
been  shown  her  in  her  present  condition  ;  and,  after  addressing 
some  sharp  words  to  Grumkow,  she  left  the  room  in  a  terrible 
state  of  agitation. 

She  sent  at  once  for  me,  told  me  all  that  had  taken  place, 
and  showed  me  the  king's  letter,  to  which  I  could  answer  only 
with  my  tears.  This  dreadful  letter  had  to  be  answered,  and 
my  mother's  reply  was  most  touching.  Having  repeated  in  it 
most  of  what  she  said  to  the  three  gentlemen,  she  afterwards 
held  a  consultation  with  Countess  Finkenstein,  Mademoiselle 
von  Sonnsfeld,  and  myself  as  to  the  decision  to  be  taken.  NYe 
agreed  that  the  queen  should  pretend  to  be  very  ill,  and  in  such 
a  manner,  too,  that  even  her  maids  should  be  deceived.  Count- 
« •-- -  Kinkcnstein  took  this  opportunity  of  telling  my  mother 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        107 

that  she  did  not  know  who  the  persons  were  that  repeated 
everything  that  happened  in  her  rooms,  even  to  the  confidential 
conversations  she  had  with  her.  "  I  assure  your  Majesty,"  she 
continued,  "  that  you  cannot  be  too  careful  at  this  critical  mo- 
ment. People  listen  at  your  doors,  and  those  you  think  de- 
voted to  you  betray  you  !"  "  No  one,"  said  the  queen,  "  can 
betray  my  secrets,  as  they  do  not  know  them,  and  I  am  quite 
sure  of  Ramen's  discretion."  As  the  queen  said  this,  we  all 
three  looked  at  each  other  in  such  a  way  that  she  must  have 
read  our  thoughts ;  but  if  she  did  so,  she  took  care  we  should 
not  be  aware  of  her  discovery. 

That  same  evening,  while  we  were  at  dinner,  the  queen  acted 
as  if  she  were  taken  suddenly  ill.  We  all  played  our  parts  so 
well  that  every  one  was  taken  in,  excepting  the  maid  Ramen, 
who  had  been  told  of  the  plan.  The  next  day  my  mother 
kept  her  bed,  and  made  all  believe  she  was  very  ill.  This, 
however,  did  not  prevent  her  from  secretly  informing  my 
brother  of  all  that  had  happened,  and  of  sending  him  the  rough 
copy  of  a  letter  which  he  was  to  write  to  the  Queen  of  Eng- 
land. He  was  to  say  that,  though  he  had  met  with  no  favor- 
able response  to  a  former  letter  he  had  written  on  the  subject 
of  my  marriage,  he  had  not  lost  courage.  He  was  too  well 
aware  of  the  kind-heartedness  of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, knowing  besides  how  tenderly  attached  they  were  to  the 
queen,  his  mother,  not  to  feel  sure  that,  taking  our  painful 
position  into  account,  they  would  no  longer  refuse  to  consent 
to  my  marriage  with  the  Prince  of  Wales.  They  would  risk 
nothing  in  doing  so,  for  he  gave  his  solemn  promise  never  to 
marry  any  one  but  the  Princess  Amelia.  If,  however,  the 
question  of  my  marriage  were  further  postponed,  he  would 
consider  himself  no  longer  bound  by  his  promise,  and  would 
agree  to  the  first  marriage  his  father  proposed  to  him.  My 
brother  made  no  difficulty  about  writing  this  letter,  which  was 
sent  off,  together  with  a  very  strong  one  from  the  queen. 
Much  as  I  had  disliked  the  idea  of  this  marriage,  I  own  that  I 


108        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

now  much  desired  that  it  should  take  place.  It  was  the  least 
of  the  three  evils  which  threatened  me,  and  I  saw  but  too 
clearly  what  would  be  the  result  if  the  negotiation  failed. 

Things  continued  in  this  state  for  several  days.  The  queen 
left  her  bed  of  an  afternoon,  and  dined  with  us  in  the  evening. 
On  the  25th  the  crisis  began.  The  queen  received  a  fresh  em- 
bassy from  the  king,  consisting  of  the  same  persons  as  had 
composed  the  former;  but  this  time  their  messages  were  far 
more  peremptory  than  those  she  had  received  before.  The 
king  persisted  in  his  threat  of  sending  my  mother  away  to  her 
dower-house,  at  the  same  time  threatening  to  imprison  me  and 
ruin  my  brother.  He  alluded  to  the  proposed  marriage  with 
England,  only  to  say  he  would  hear  nothing  more  about  it. 
Even  if  the  King  and  Queen  of  England  agreed,  he  would  now 
refuse  his  consent.  My  mother  was  therefore  quietly  to  sub- 
mit to  his  propositions,  or  she  might  be  certain  that  the  whole 
force  of  the  king's  resentment  would  fall  on  me.  These  mes- 
sages, accompanied  by  a  still  more  violent  letter  from  my  fa- 
ther, had  no  effect  in  shaking  my  mother's  determination.  She 
persisted  in  her  refusal  to  consent  to  either  of  the  marriages 
proposed.  The  king  might  kill  her,  she  said,  before  she  would 
give  her  consent.  We  were  prepared  at  any  moment  for  the 
king's  taking  extreme  measures.  The  perpetual  agitation  and 
sorrow  in  which  we  lived  affected  my  health,  which  was  al- 
ways delicate.  I  could  neither  sleep  nor  eat,  and  grew  visibly 
thinner. 

A  week  passed  in  this  painful  state,  when  at  last  the  reply 
from  England  arrived.  It  was  couched  in  the  usual  terms. 
The  King  and  Queen  of  England  were  favorably  inclined  to 
my  marriage  taking  place,  on  condition  that  my  brother's  was 
solemnized  at  the  same  time.  The  Queen  of  England's  letter 
to  my  brother  contained  only  civil  speeches.  My  mother  at 
once  communicated  this  news  to  me.  She  was  so  affected  by 
it  that  we  were  afraid  of  the  result  on  her  health.  She  ac- 
companied the  letter  from  England,  which  she  was  obliged  to 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         109 

lay  before  the  king,  with  a  most  touching  note  of  her  own, 
hoping  to  soften  his  heart.  He,  however,  returned  both  un- 
read, because  Ramen,  to  whom  the  queen  had  confided,  had 
betrayed  everything  to  him.  Eversmann  arrived  that  evening 
from  Potsdam,  and  told  the  queen  that  the  king  was  greatly 
incensed  against  her  and  me,  and  had  sworn  to  use  violence  to 
force  us  to  submit  to  his  will.  Everybody  was  suffering  from 
his  bad  temper,  he  said,  and  he  had  most  cruelly  ill-treated  my 
brother,  having  seized  him  by  his  hair,  dragged  him  through 
the  room,  and  then  beaten  him  till  he  bled.  When  Eversmann 
left  the  queen's  presence,  he  said  to  me,  in  a  most  insolent  tone : 
"  How  long  will  you  continue  to  be  the  cause  of  these  dissen- 
sions in  the  family,  and  to  draw  down  the  king's  anger  upon 
you  ?  I  speak  to  you  as  a  friend.  Obey  the  king's  orders 
with  a  good  grace,  or  prepare  yourself  for  the  grossest  insult. 
I  know  what  is  in  store  for  you.  You  have  not  a  moment  to 
lose.  Give  me  a  letter  for  the  king,  and  don't  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  what  the  queen  says.  I  don't  tell  you  this  from  myself, 
but  by  the  king's  orders." 

Put  yourself  in  my  place,  and  judge  what  I  suffered  at  being 
treated  thus  by  a  wretched  valet  and  spy  !  Yet  I  was  obliged 
to  remain  cool,  and  therefore  merely  answered,  "  The  king's  dis- 
pleasure is  most  painful  to  me,  and  I  shall  do  everything  in  my 
power  to  win  back  his  favor.  I  know  his  kind  heart  and  fa- 
therly tenderness  too  well  not  to  believe  that  he  would  not  will- 
ingly plunge  me  into  misery.  I  shall  obey  all  his  commands, 
however  hard  they  may  be,  as  soon  as  he  and  my  mother  are  of 
one  mind  about  them.  I  know  that  he  has  full  power  over  me 
as  my  father,  but  my  mother's  rights  are  equally  good.  I  am 
quite  ready  to  take  an  oath  never  to  marry  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
if  the  king  will  only  exempt  me  from  marrying  either  of  the 
two  people  to  whom  I  have  an  unconquerable  repugnance." 
Eversmann  then  turned  to  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  and  said, 
"  The  king  commands  you  to  induce  the  princess  to  accept  the 
marriage  with  the  Duke  of  Weissenfels,  and  if  she  will  not  have 


110         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

him,  then  to  take  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt.  If  you  do  not 
obey  the  king's  orders,  he  will  have  you  imprisoned  on  bread 
and  water  in  Spandau,  and  ruin  the  whole  of  your  family." 

"  The  king  has  the  power  to  do  this,"  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld  answered,  in  the  quietest  manner  possible.  "  He 
appointed  me  to  educate  the  princess,  but  not  to  force  her  to 
this  marriage.  I  shall  not  meddle  in  this  business,  nor  shall 
I  tell  her  to  accept  one  or  the  other  suitor ;  but  I  shall  pray 
to  God  to  guide  her  aright,  that  she  may  decide  on  what  is 
best." 

"But  are  you  not  aware,"  Eversmann  began  afresh,  "on 
what  the  king  has  decided  if  she  continues  to  remain  so  obsti- 
nate ?"  "  No,  I  am  not,  neither  do  I  wish  to  know,"  was  her 
reply.  "I  will,  however,  tell  you,"  he  continued:  "the  king 
gives  the  princess  three  days  to  think  it  over ;  if  she  then  per- 
sists in  her  refusal,  the  king  will  send  to  Wusterhausen  for  the 
two  princes,  and  force  her  to  marry  the  one  or  the  other.  If 
she  does  not  then  cheerfully  consent,  the  religious  service  will 
be  dispensed  with,  and  she  will  be  shut  up  with  the  duke,  and 
we  will  then  see  if  he  cares  to  marry  her  after  that!"  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Sonnsfeld  and  Madame  von  Konnken  as  well  as 
myself,  who  had  heard  this  speech  from  a  distance,  were  petri- 
fied with  astonishment  at  it.  Madame  von  Konnken  could,  how- 
ever, stand  it  no  longer,  and  spoke  to  him  most  severely.  He, 
however,  insisted  on  every  word  being  the  truth,  and  moreover 
said  that  there  were  no  means  to  escape  from  this  evil  fate. 
"  Are  there  no  other  suitable  marriages  in  the  whole  world  for 
the  princess  but  just  these  two?"  Madame  von  Konnken  asked, 
"and  must  she  be  forced  to  accept  either  of  them?"  "If  the 
queen  knows  of  any  better,  excluding,  of  course,  the  marriage 
with  the  Prince  of  Wales,  I  think  the  king  would  not  so  much 
mind,"  Eversmann  answered,  "  though  he  has  the  marriage  with 
the  Duke  of  Weissenfels  much  at  heart." 

At  this  moment  the  queen  sent  for  us,  and  thus  put  an  end 
to  the  conversation.  She  saw,  by  the  expression  on  my  face, 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         Ill 

that  something  out  of  the  common  had  taken  place ;  and  I  then 
told  her,  with  as  much  caution  as  I  could,  Eversmann's  conver- 
sation. After  a  long  deliberation  she  determined  to  speak  next 
da}7  with  Field-marshal  von  Bork.  He  was  a  very  honest  man, 
and  might  be  able  to  help  her  to  see  her  way  in  her  present 
difficult  position.  She  accordingly  sent  for  him,  and  gave  him 
an  account  of  all  that  had  taken  place  the  day  before.  Her 
Mistress  of  the  Robes  was  present  with  her  during  the  inter- 
view. "  You  have  delivered  the  messages  with  which  the  king 
intrusted  you,"  she  said,  "  and  I  answered  you  as  his  envoy. 
Now  you  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  those  messages.  To- 
day I  have  sent  for  you  in  the  capacity  of  friend  to  ask  your 
advice,  and  pray  you  to  give  it  me  unreservedly."  The  field- 
marshal  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  I  am  in  utter  despair,"  he 
replied,  "  to  see  such  dissensions  in  the  Royal  Family,  and  to 
learn  what  worry  and  annoyance  your  Majesty  has  to  endure. 
Till  now,  I  had  always  hoped  that  England  would  come  to  a 
favorable  decision ;  but  as  this  is  not  the  case,  I  do  not  see  how 
your  Majesty  is  to  escape  from  the  predicament  in  which  you 
are  placed.  What  Eversmann  said  yesterday  leaves  little  doubt 
as  to  the  truth  of  the  violent  measures  which  the  king  has  in 
contemplation  against  the  princess.  The  Margrave  of  Schwedt 
is  here  incognito :  one  of  my  people  saw  him,  and  from  the  in- 
formation I  have  gathered,  he  has  been  here  already  several 
days,  living  in  the  '  Neustadt.'  *  He  goes  out  only  of  an  even- 
ing. These  two  letters  from  Dresden  inform  me  that  the  Duke 
of  Weissenfels  is  staying  at  a  little  village  near  Wusterhausen. 
We,  therefore,  have  everything  to  fear  from  the  king's  violence. 
Your  Majesty  knows  him  but  too  well,  and  how  difficult  it  is, 
when  once  his  anger  is  roused,  to  pacify  him.  He  has  already 
come  to  blows  with  the  crown  prince,  and  has  given  vent  to  his 
fury  against  your  Majesty,  so  that  little  more  is  required  to 
make  him  carry  out  his  other  threats.  Your  Majesty  has  asked 

*  The  new  part  of  Berlin. 


112         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH. 

me  to  give  you  ray  advice  quite  candidly :  it  is  this,  to  gain 
time.  It  is  the  only  means  remaining  to  you." 

"But  my  daughter  must  come  to  a  decision  the  day  after 
to-morrow,"  the  queen  exclaimed;  "how  are  we  to  gain 
time?" 

"The  only  thing  then  to  be  done,"  the  field-marshal  replied, 
"  is  to  propose  a  third  marriage.  I  am  sure  that  neither  Grum- 
kow  nor  Seckendorf  will  agree  to  that,  and  you  will  thereby 
gain  time  and  pacify  the  king." 

The  queen  agreed  to  this,  and  thought  over  for  some  time 
which  prince  she  could  propose.  She  finally  determined  on 
the  hereditary  prince  of  Baireuth.  The  field -marshal  under- 
took to  let  the  king  know  of  the  change  in  the  queen's  views. 
"  If  all  the  ropes  break,"  he  added,  "  at  least  this  marriage  is 
worth  a  thousand  times  more  than  either  of  the  others.  This 
prince  is  very  highly  spoken  of,  and  will  also  be  a  reigning 
sovereign.  His  country  is  beautiful,  and  his  age  is  in  every 
way  suitable  to  that  of  the  princess."  "  Well,  then,  I  am  satis- 
fied," my  mother  said ;  "  and  if  my  last  endeavor  to  get  a  satis- 
factory answer  from  England  fails,  then  in  God's  name  let  her 
marry  this  prince.  My  enemies  will  at  least  not  have  the  sat- 
isfaction of  triumphing  over  me." 

The  king  returned  two  days  later  to  Berlin.  He  entered  my 
mother's  room  frantic  with  rage.  She  was  still  in  bed,  pretend- 
ing to  be  ill.  Neither  my  sister  nor  I  was  in  the  room  at  the 
time.  My  mother  let  him  say  what  he  would,  without  utter- 
ing one  word,  and  when  he  had  finished  endeavored  to  soften 
his  anger  by  the  most  gentle  and  touching  words.  It  was  all 
of  no  use.  "  You  can  choose,"  he  finally  said,  "  and  this  is  the 
last  time  you  have  the  chance,  either  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt 
or  Duke  Johann  Adolf,  and  if  you  wish  to  please  me,  then  let 
your  choice  fall  on  the  latter."  "  May  God  defend  me  from 
that !"  my  mother  cried.  "  Very  well,  then,"  the  king  answered, 
"  I  shall  go  this  very  moment  to  the  Margravine  Philip  (mother 
of  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt)  and  accept  her  son  for  my  daugh- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         113 

ter,  and  shall  ask  her  to  undertake  the  marriage  preparations." 
And  without  leaving  my  mother  time  to  say  a  word  in  answer, 
he  left  the  room. 

My  father  wasted  not  a  moment,  but  went  forthwith  to  the 
Margravine.  "  Your  Highness  will  be  doubtless  surprised  at  my 
visit,  but  I  bring  you  news  which  I  am  sure  will  greatly  please 
you,"  and,  without  giving  her  time  to  reply,  the  king  contin- 
ued :  "  I  come  to  announce  the  decision  I  have  come  to,  viz., 
to  marry  my  eldest  daughter  to  your  son.  I  do  not  for  a  mo- 
ment doubt  that  this  alliance  will  meet  with  your  entire  satis- 
faction, and  that  you  will  gladly  give  your  consent  to  it.  Write 
to  your  son  at  once — he  left  for  Schwedt  to-day — and  tell  him 
of  my  intentions,  also  that  he  need  fear  nothing,  as  I  intend  to 
show  that  I  am  master  in  my  own  house." 

The  venerable  Margravine,  who  had  listened  with  the  great- 
est pleasure  to  the  beginning  of  the  king's  speech,  entirely 
changed  her  opinion  before  he  got  to  the  end  of  it.  "I  am 
fully  sensible,  as  I  ought  to  be,  of  the  great  honor  your  Majesty 
has  done  me  in  choosing  my  son,"  she  replied,  "  and  fully  rec- 
ognize the  good -fortune  and  the  great  advantages  accruing 
therefrom,  both  to  my  son  and  to  myself.  But  though  this 
son  is  dearer  to  me  than  my  life,  and  though  nothing  would 
seem  too  hard  to  me  to  procure  his  happiness,  yet  I  should  be 
in  despair  if  this  happiness  were  obtained  at  the  princess's  ex- 
pense. I  should  not  only  refuse  my  consent  to  such  a  mar- 
riage, but  should  declare  myself  my  son's  greatest  enemy  if  he 
were  base  enough  to  marry  the  princess  against  her  will." 

"Would  you,  then,  rather  that  she  married  the  Duke  of  Weis- 
senfels  ?"  the  king  asked.  "  It  is  immaterial  to  me  whom  she 
marries,"  the  Margravine  answered,  "  as  long  as  neither  I  nor  my 
son  are  the  cause  of  her  misery."  When  the  king  found  that 
nothing  would  move  her,  he  took  his  leave.  That  same  even- 
ing the  Margravine  sent  me  a  note  by  a  confidential  servant, 
informing  me  of  all  that  had  taken  place,  and  begging  me  to 
tell  my  mother.  Such  generosity  deserved  its  full  measure  of 


114         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

gratitude,  and  my  reply  expressed  this  feeling  in  the  strongest 
manner  possible,  both  in  my  own  name  and  the  queen's. 

I  had  not  yet  seen  the  king.  My  mother  was  afraid  to  let 
me,  as  she  dreaded  his  violence.  Her  room  was  full  of  screens, 
which  almost  made  a  labyrinth,  and  I  was  able  to  escape  through 
these  when  the  king  entered  while  I  was  with  her.  Ramen, 
who  was  as  watchful  as  Satan  himself,  and  rejoiced  whenever 
she  could  do  harm  to  any  one,  had  altered  the  position  of  the 
screens  without  my  having  noticed  it.  One  day  the  king  en- 
tered the  room.  I  wanted  to  escape  in  the  usual  way,  but 
found  no  outlet  among  the  screens.  The  noise  I  made  soon 
betrayed  my  presence.  No  sooner  did  the  king  see  me  than  he 
poured  forth  a  flood  of  abuse  upon  me,  which  he  threatened  to 
accompany  with  blows  of  his  stick.  There  was  nothing  left 
me  but  to  hide  behind  my  governess.  The  king  advanced  tow- 
ards her :  she  stepped  back,  pushing  me  behind  her,  farther 
and  farther,  till  we  were  close  against  the  fireplace,  the  king 
meanwhile  approaching  nearer  and  nearer.  As  we  had  no  in- 
tention of  jumping  into  the  fire,  we  were  obliged  to  come  to  a 
stand-still.  The  king  now  put  his  head  over  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld's  shoulder,  screaming  abusive  epithets  at  me.  Each 
time  he  put  out  his  head  I  dived  down  on  the  other  side. 
Finding  that  he  could  not  catch  me  he  left  the  room,  laughing, 
in  spite  of  his  anger,  at  the  absurd  spectacle  we  presented. 

On  the  following  day  he  renewed  his  entreaties  and  his 
threats.  The  queen,  after  vainly  trying  to  divert  his  attention, 
and  make  him  think  of  other  things,  at  last  said  to  him, "  Let 
us  both  be  reasonable.  I  agree  to  the  rupture  with  England ; 
pray  do,  on  your  part,  give  up  the  idea  of  the  marriage  with  Weis- 
senfels  or  Schwedt.  I  promise  you  to  give  my  consent  to  any 
other  marriage  which  holds  out  a  fair  prospect  to  my  daugh- 
ter." "  Very  well,  then,"  my  father  answered  ;  "  name  such  a  one 
to  me,  and  I  agree."  The  queen  thereupon  named  the  heredi- 
tary prince  of  Baireuth,  saying,  "  He  belongs  to  your  house,  has 
a  beautiful  principality,  his  age  is  suitable  to  that  of  my  daiigh- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.         115 

ter,  and  he  is  said  to  be  an  estimable  prince.  "  Well,  then,  I  am 
satisfied,"  the  king  exclaimed  ;  "  but  if  she  marries  according  to 
her  own  inclinations,  I  will  give  her  no  trousseau  or  dowry  or 
marriage-feast.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  she  obeys  me,  I  will  pro- 
vide for  her  in  every  way." 

"  But  what  in  the  world  can  I  do  more  to  please  you  ?"  my 
mother  replied  ;  "  do  you  wish  to  torment  me  to  death  ?  Let 
her  then  marry  that  fat  Johann  Adolf;  but  if  she  has  any 
love  for  me,  she  will  never,  never  do  so." 

Upon  this  my  father  said,  "  You  shall  have  your  way ;  I  will 
write  to-morrow  to  the  Margrave  of  Baireuth,  and  you  shall  see 
my  letter." 

As  soon  as  the  conversation  was  at  an  end  my  mother  sent 
for  me.  I  found  her  in  the  greatest  state  of  delight.  "  All 
goes  well,"  she  cried,  embracing  me  tenderly  ;  "  the  king  and  I 
have  together  chosen  the  hereditary  prince  of  Baireuth  to  be 
your  husband,  and  the  king  writes  to-morrow  to  the  Margrave 
on  the  subject.  There  is  only  one  point  that  makes  me  rather 
anxious,  but  I  trust  still  to  see  it  satisfactorily  settled.  It  is 
this :  that  the  king  will  not  give  you  a  dowry,  neither  will  he 
give  the  marriage  festivities.  I  hope,  however,  that  you  will 
get  over  this." 

This  news  and  decision  disconcerted  me  terribly.  I  promised 
my  mother  to  obey  her  in  everything,  but  I  expressed  a  hope 
she  would  consider  to  what  she  was  exposing  me.  "  What  will 
the  world  say  if  I  marry  against  the  king's  will,  and  what  can 
be  more  painful  to  me  than  to  be  turned  out  of  the  house  like 
a  worthless  girl  ?  What  will  the  prince  think  whose  wife  I  am 
destined  to  be  ?  I  have  persistently  refused  my  consent  to  the 
other  two  marriages  proposed  to  me  by  the  king  ;  your  Majesty 
cannot  blame  me  if  I  now  refuse  this  which  you  propose  to 
me  ?  As  soon  as  ever  you  and  the  king  are  entirely  of  one 
mind  as  to  any  particular  choice  I  will  submit  blindly,  but  I 
cannot  do  so  as  things  are  now."  "  Well,  then,  marry  the  sul- 
tan or  the  Great  Mogul,  and  have  your  own  way  !"  the  queen 


116        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.  4 

exclaimed.  "  If  I  had  known  you  better  I  should  not  have 
brought  so  much  sorrow  and  trouble  on  myself.  Marry  the 
king's  head  if  you  like ;  I  will  have  nothing  more  to  do  with 
the  whole  business,"  and  she  sent  me  out  of  the  room  without 
letting  me  answer  a  word.  My  mother  then  sent  for  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld.  "  Induce  my  daughter  to  give  way  to 
my  wishes,"  she  said  to  her.  "  I  insist  on  her  marrying  the 
Prince  of  Baireuth,  and  will  not  hear  of  a  refusal.  This  mar- 
riage gives  me  as  much  pleasure  as  if  I  settled  my  daughter  in 
England."  She  spoke  in  the  same  tone  to  my  brother,  and  as 
he  was  getting  very  weary  of  England's  procrastination  he  spoke 
seriously  to  me  on  the  subject.  I  answered  him  that  I  was 
ready  at  all  times  to  sacrifice  myself  for  him,  but  in  this  par- 
ticular case  my  honor  was  concerned.  "  If  my  father  recon- 
siders his  determination,  and  gives  me  a  dowry,  at  the  same 
time  letting  me  leave  my  home  in  a  manner  befitting  my  posi- 
tion, I  shall  not  for  one  moment  hesitate  in  accepting  the  Prince 
of  Baireuth.  If,  however,  he  persists  in  his  intention,  then 
nothing  in  the  world  will  move  me." 

My  brother  was  very  angry  with  me  for  this,  and  said  so 
many  hard  things  to  me  that  I  was  in  despair.  Mademoi- 
selle von  Biilow,  who  had  been  present  at  this  interview,  im- 
plored me  to  be  calm.  "  I  beseech  your  Royal  Highness  to  re- 
flect that  all  is  not  yet  lost.  I  am  sure  I  know  of  means  to 
pacify  the  queen.  We  must  let  her  anger  pass  over,  and  then 
when  I  have  spoken  to  her,  I  feel  sure  that  she  will  again  turn 
to  you  in  love."  I  implored  her  in  vain  to  tell  me  to  what 
means  she  intended  to  resort  to  extricate  me  from  my  painful 
position. 

The  following  morning  the  king  brought  his  letter  to  the 
Margrave  of  Baireuth  to  the  queen.  It  was  written  in  most 
courteous  terms,  inviting  the  prince  to  strengthen  the  ties  that 
united  the  two  families,  by  consenting  to  a  marriage  between 
his  son  and  myself.  The  king  then  said  to  my  mother,  "I 
shall  send  off  the  letter  under  the  conditions  named.  Your 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTII.         117 

daughter's  dower,  trousseau,  and  the  marriage  festivities  you 
can  give  her,  but  from  me  she  shall  never  have  a  penny  !" 
The  queen  was  quite  satisfied  with  everything,  but  still  more 
so  when  Marshal  Bork  secretly  informed  her  that  evening  that 
the  king  had  changed  his  mind,  and  had  been  induced  by 
Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  not  to  send  off  the  letter.  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Billow  told  her  at  the  same  time  that  M.  von 
Kniephausen  and  the  English  envoy  had  decided  on  sending 
the  English  chaplain,  who  was  my  English  master,  to  London.- 
They  wished  to  make  one  last  endeavor,  and  the  letters  they 
intended  sending  were  so  strong  and  urgent  that  they  must 
wake  the  English  Court  out  of  its  apathy. 

As  the  chaplain  had  been  a  witness  of  everything  that  had 
taken  place,  and  knew,  besides,  every  detail  of  our  painful  po- 
sition, he  would  be  able  to  describe  it  all  in  such  a  manner  that 
it  could  not  fail  to  produce  an  effect,  and  induce  the  English 
sovereigns  to  give  their  consent  to  this  much-desired  marriage. 
The  queen  entirely  approved  of  this  decision,  and  intrusted  the 
chaplain  with  letters  to  the  Queen  of  England,  in  which  she 
reproached  her  with  her  want  of  friendship,  and  described  to 
her  her  sad  position. 

My  father  seemed  pacified.  He  no  longer  spoke  of  these 
other  hateful  marriages,  and  treated  the  queen  more  kindly. 
My  brother  and  I  were,  however,  in  constant  disgrace,  but  with 
this  difference :  that  I  was  never  allowed  to  appear  before  him, 
while  he  had  to  be  constantly  about  him — a  position  which  ex- 
posed him  to  constant  blows  and  ill-treatment.  I  had  made 
up  my  quarrel  with  my  brother,  and  suffered  terribly  at 
witnessing  his  despair  at  the  treatment  he  received  from  his 
father. 

On  the  18th  of  February  the  king  went  to  Dresden,  where 
he  had  several  interviews  with  the  King  of  Poland.  These  he 
kept  quite  secret. 

During  his  absence  my  mother  was  taken  dangerously  ill, 
and  nearly  died.  Her  sufferings  were  terrible.  I  suffered  as 


118        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

much  as  she  did,  and  never  left  her  bedside  for  one  moment. 
As  soon  as  the  king  had  returned  to  Potsdam,  the  doctors  and 
her  Mistress  of  the  Robes  informed  him  of  her  great  danger. 
He  was  much  alarmed,  and  would  have  hastened  to  her  bed- 
side, had  not  Ramen  and  Eversmann  assured  him  that  the  sick- 
ness was  a  mere  pretext,  and  that  the  queen  was  not  really  ill 
at  all.  As,  however,  the  illness  increased,  and  the  doctors  con- 
sidered her  in  imminent  danger,  a  messenger  was  sent  at  night 
to  tell  the  king.  He  started  off  at  once  on  receipt  of  the  news, 
and  arrived  in  the  afternoon.  He  found  the  queen  in  a  most 
grievous  condition.  His  own  surgeon  entirely  indorsed  the 
doctor's  opinion  as  to  the  gravity  of  the  case,  and  the  king  was 
beside  himself.  My  mother  took  this  opportunity  of  speaking 
with  him  about  his  past  conduct,  and  of  all  the  sorrow  he  had 
caused  her,  which  had,  she  told  him,  brought  her  to  her  present 
condition.  She  implored  him  to  forgive  me,  and  to  restore 
me  his  fatherly  affection.  My  father  at  once  sent  for  rne.  It 
was  a  most  touching  moment.  I  knelt  before  him,  kissing  his 
hands  and  covering  them  with  tears,  while  speaking  in  the  ten- 
derest  manner  to  him.  To  please  the  queen  he  embraced  me, 
but  as  soon  as  she  had  turned  her  head  away  he  pushed  me 
from  him  with  such  a  furious  look  on  his  face  that  I  quite 
trembled.  This  apparent  reconciliation  between  my  father 
and  myself  made  my  mother  so  happy  that  three  days  after- 
wards she  was  out  of  danger. 

We  had  scarcely  escaped  from  one  crisis  when  we  entered 
upon  another.  My  brother  was  so  irritated  at  the  ill-usage 
he  received  from  the  king  that  he  was  considering  seriously 
what  decision  he  should  come  to.  He  never  let  the  queen  sus- 
pect anything,  but  daily  came  secretly  to  sec  me. 

"  I  am  perpetually  being  told  to  have  patience,"  he  said, 
"  but  no  one  knows  what  I  have  to  endure.  I  am  treated  like 
a  slave,  am  beaten  every  day,  and  have  no  relaxation  of  any 
kind.  I  am  forbidden  to  read,  to  study  the  sciences  or  music, 
and  am  scarcely  allowed  to  speak  to  anybody.  My  life  is  in 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.         119 

perpetual  danger,  I  am  surrounded  by  spies,  I  have  not  even 
enough  clothes,  and  am  wanting  in  most  other  necessaries  of 
life;  but  the  last  terrible  scene  with  the  king  at  Potsdam  has 
quite  overcome  me.  He  sent  for  me  one  morning.  As  soon 
as  I  entered  the  room  he  seized  me  by  my  hair  and  threw  me 
on  the  ground.  After  having  beaten  me  with  his  fists,  he 
dragged  me  to  the  window  and  tied  the  cord  which  fastened 
back  the  curtain  round  my  throat.  I  had,  fortunately,  time 
to  get  up  and  seize  hold  of  his  hands;  but  as  he  pulled  with  all 
his  might  at  the  cord  round  my  throat,  I  felt  I  was  being 
strangled,  and  screamed  for  help.  A  page  rushed  in  to  my 
assistance,  and  had  to  use  force  in  freeing  me  from  my  father's 
hands. 

"Tell  me  now  what  remains  to  me  but  flight.  Katt  and 
Keith  are  both  ready  to  follow  me  to  the  end  of  the  world.  I 
have  passports  and  letters  of  credit,  and  have  arranged  every- 
thing in  such  a  manner  that  I  cannot  possibly  run  any  danger. 
I  shall  fly  to  England,  where  I  shall  be  received  with  open 
arms,  and  shall  have  nothing  more  to  fear  from  my  father's 
anger.  I  shall  confide  none  of  these  intentions  to  the  queen — 
first  of  all,  because  she  gossips  with  Ramen ;  and  secondly,  be- 
cause, should  such  an  occasion  arise,  she  could  then  swear  that 
she  knew  nothing  about  the  whole  business.  As  soon  as  my 
father  undertakes  another  journey — for  that  makes  everything 
safer  for  me — I  shall  carry  out  my  plan,  for  everything  is  in 
readiness." 

I  cried  incessantly  during  this  speech,  and  afterwards  asked 
him  if  he  had  reflected  as  to  the  results  of  this  step,  and  how 
terrible  they  would  be.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  was 
present,  spoke  in  the  same  strain  to  him ;  but  we  both  saw  that 
our  representations  were  quite  useless. 

Soon  after  this  the  king  went  to  Potsdam.  During  his  ab- 
sence I  took  the  Holy  Sacrament,  and  on  my  return  from  the 
Dom  (Cathedral)  on  Sunday  I  found  Katt  waiting  for  me. 
Ramen's  rooms  were  just  opposite,  and  she  was  standing  at  her 


120         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

door,  and  Katt  was  unfortunately  imprudent  enough  to  give 
me  a  letter  from  my  brother  in  her  presence. 

"  I  have  just  come  from  Potsdam,"  Katt  said,  "  where  I  have 
been  staying  secretly  for  three  days  to  see  the  crown  prince, 
and  he  intrusted  this  letter  to  my  care." 

I  took  it  from  him  without  saying  a  word,  and  went  my 
way,  much  annoyed,  as  any  one  may  suppose,  at  his  want  of 
tact.  As  soon  as  I  reached  my  room  I  opened  the  letter,  and 
read  as  follows : 

"DEAR  SISTER, — I  am  beside  myself.  The  king  ill-treats 
me  worse  than  ever.  I  can  stand  this  existence  no  longer. 
The  queen  puts  the  final  touch  to  this  misery  by  her  infatua- 
tion for  this  maid  Ramen.  The  king  knows  everything  that 
takes  place  every  day  in  her  apartments,  because  Ramen  keeps 
him  informed  of  it  all  through  his  valets.  These  villains  ought 
to  be  hung  on  the  highest  gallows.  The  king  returns  to  Ber- 
lin on  Tuesday ;  but,  as  it  is  still  a  secret,  do  not  tell  the  queen, 
or  else  she  will  at  once  inform  that  wicked  creature. 
"  Good-by,  dear  sister, 

"  Yours  always  entirely." 

I  was  now  in  a  terrible  difficulty.  I  could  not  show  this  let- 
ter to  the  queen,  and  yet  I  feared  that  Ramen  would  have  told 
her  I  had  received  it.  After  thinking  it  well  over,  I  tfirew  the 
missive  into  the  fire,  and  determined  to  say  nothing.  Happily, 
that  ill-natured  woman  had  never  mentioned  anything  about 
the  letter.  It  was,  perhaps,  the  only  good  deed  in  her  life. 
This  circumstance  is,  probably,  scarcely  worth  mentioning;  still, 
the  course  of  these  memoirs  will  show  that  I  was  right  in  not- 
ing it  down. 

The  English  chaplain  had  meanwhile  arrived  in  London.  He 
had  described  our  position  in  such  touching  terms,  and  given 
so  favorable  an  account  of  my  brother,  that  the  whole  nation 
was  won  over  to  us.  The  Prince  of  Wales,  with  whom  ho  had 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         121 

a  long  conversation,  declared  to  the  king,  his  father,  that  he 
would  never  marry  any  one  but  myself,  and  begged  him  at  last 
to  allow  the  marriage  to  be  solemnized.  For  this  purpose  the 
king  named  the  "knight"  Hotham  as  his  envoy  extraordinary 
to  the  Court  of  Berlin,  where  he  arrived  in  the  month  of  May. 
The  queen  was  still  ill,  and  her  great  weakness  prevented  her 
leaving  her  bed.  She  was  much  pleased  at  Hotham's  mission. 
As  soon  as  he  arrived  at  Berlin  he  demanded  an  audience  of 
the  king,  for  which  purpose  he  was  at  once  summoned  to  Char- 
lottenburg.  The  queen  sent  some  trusty  friends  there  to  keep 
her  informed  of  all  that  took  place.  Hotham  made  a  formal 
proposal  for  my  hand.  He  told  my  father  that  his  king  and 
master  and  the  whole  nation  were  convinced  that,  after  giving 
him  this  proof  of  their  confidence,  the  king  would  not  refuse 
his  consent  to  the  marriage  of  the  crown  prince.  At  any  rate 
people  in  England  would  be  quite  satisfied  if  my  wedding  took 
place  first,  and  they  left  it  free  to  the  king  to  decide  as  to  the 
time  when  the  crown  prince's  should  be  celebrated.  My  father 
was  enchanted,  embraced  the  envoy  over  and  over  again,  and 
gave  him  endless  assurances  of  his  friendship.  Then  dinner 
was  announced,  to  which  Seckendorf  and  Grumkow  were  in- 
vited. The  king  was  in  the  best  of  tempers.  At  the  close  of 
the  dinner  he  sent  for  a  large  glass,  and  proposed  the  health  of 
his  "  dear  son-in-law,  the  Prince  of  Wales."  He  had  scarcely 
finished  speaking,  when  all  present  rose  from  their  seats  and 
congratulated  him.  This  expression  of  sympathy  touched  him 
so  much  that  he  had  tears  in  his  eyes.  After  dinner  he  took 
leave  of  the  envoy,  who  begged  him  not  to  make  too  much  ado 
about  the  marriage,  and  to  grant  him  another  audience.  Grum- 
kow and  Seckendorf  meanwhile  were  thunderstruck,  and  had 
the  greatest  trouble  to  hide  their  dismay. 

As  soon  as  the  king  had  left  Charlottenburg,  the  queen's 
faithful  people  came  rushing  to  her  with  this  joyful  news.  I 
was  in  my  own  room  working  and  being  read  aloud  to,  when 
my  door  was  thrown  open,  and  more  than  thirty  ladies,  gentle- 


122         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

men,  and  servants  entered,  and,  bending  one  knee  before  me, 
according  to  English  fashion,  wished  me  joy.  In  utter  surprise 
I  asked  what  it  all  meant,  and  if  they  had  all  gone  mad.  The 
only  answer  I  received  was  that  they  called  out,  "  Long  live  the 
Princess  of  Wales  !"  and  then  told  me  what  had  taken  place. 
"  Is  that  all  ?"  I  answered,  and  quietly  resumed  my  work.  A 
few  moments  later  my  sisters  and  several  ladies  from  the  town 
came  to  me  to  express  their  interest  and  sympathy.  I  was 
much  beloved;  every  one  wept  with  joy  and  satisfaction.  I 
refused  to  accept  all  these  compliments,  and  told  them  that  I 
knew  of  nothing,  and  could  not  accept  their  good  wishes  on 
mere  hearsay.  In  the  evening  I  went  to  my  mother.  Her 
heart  was  overflowing  with  joy.  She  received  me  on  entering 
the  room  as  her  dear  Princess  of  Wales.  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld  took  the  liberty  of  entreating  her  to  be  more  careful. 
"The  king  might  be  offended,"  she  said, "  if  your  Majesty  makes 
so  much  ado  about  a  subject  of  which  he  has  not  yet  informed 
you.  Pray  be  more  prudent  than  ever !  The  slightest  trifle 
may  yet  destroy  all  our  hopes."  As  Countess  Finkenstein  en- 
tirely supported  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld's  opinion,  the 
queen  promised  to  be  careful. 

Three  days  later  the  king  came  to  Berlin.  He  never  uttered 
a  word  to  the  queen  about  all  that  had  happened,  so  that  we 
had  but  little  faith  in  these  negotiations.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  announced  to  her  that  he  had  just  settled  my  second  sister's 
marriage  to  the  eldest  son  of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick-Bevern, 
and.  that  he  and  his  father  would  arrive  here  next  day.  Seck- 
endorf  had  negotiated  this  marriage,  and  intended  it  to  serve 
his  further  purposes.  It  was  to  be  the  corner-stone  of  the  po- 
litical edifice  he  had  in  view. 

The  Duke  of  Brunswick  was  the  empress's  brother,  and  at 
that  time  dependent  on  an  annuity.  His  father-in-law,  the 
Duke  of  Blankenburg,  however,  was  the  probable  heir  to  the 
Duchy  of  Brunswick.  I  shall  waste  no  time  in  painting  his 
portrait ;  suffice  it  to  say  that  he  was  in  every  way  a  most  es- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        123 

timable  and  excellent  prince.  His  son  followed  in  his  foot- 
steps. My  sister's  formal  betrothal  took  place  two  days  after 
his  arrival.  As  my  mother  was  expecting  her  confinement,  the 
ceremony  took  place  privately,  no  other  minister  being  present 
but  Seckendorf.  In  consequence  of  my  mother  being  unable 
to  leave  her  room  to  dine  with  the  king,  we  missed  all  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  Hotham. 

Though  Hotham  did  not  dine  with  the  king,  he  had  frequent 
interviews  with  him  on  the  following  subjects :  The  King  of 
England  demanded  Grumkow's  dismissal  as  a  return  for  the 

c3 

step  taken  in  the  king's  favor.  He  let  ray  father  know  that 
he  considered  Grumkow  the  cause  and  instigator  of  the  un- 
friendly relations  between  the  two  courts,  and  of  all  the  misun- 
derstandings that  had  taken  place ;  that  he  basely  betrayed  his 
master,  as  could  be  proved  through  letters  that  had  been  inter- 
cepted. These  letters  Grumkow  had  written  to  Reichenbach, 
a  Prussian  residing  in  London.  They  had  been  deciphered, 
and  later  on  I  shall  give  their  contents.  The  King  of  England 
then  further  acquainted  my  father  with  all  the  intrigues  of  the 
Court  of  Vienna,  and  finally  insisted  on  my  brother's  marriage. 
He  wanted  only  the  betrothal.  He  was  quite  ready  to  accept 
me  without  a  dowry,  and  promised  that  the  Princess  Amelia's 
dowry  should  be  £100,000.  All  this  staggered  my  father 
much.  As  to  Grumkow,  he  answered  that  if  he  could  see  the 
letters  proving  his  guilt,  he  would  dismiss  him  at  once.  My 
brother's  marriage  he  would  take  into  consideration,  but  as  re- 
gards my  own  he  gladly  accepted  every  condition.  A  few 
days  later  the  king  said  to  Hotham,  "  I  will  agree  to  my  son's 
marriage  if  he  is  made  Regent  of  Hanover,  and  allowed  to  di- 
rect the  management  of  the  kingdom  till  my  death,  and  if  pro- 
vision is  made  for  his  maintenance."  Hotham  answered  that 
he  would  at  once  write  to  England  about  it,  and  that  he  did 
not  think  he  should  meet  with  any  great  difficulties. 

As  long  as  Hotham  was  at  Berlin  he  received  letters  from 
the  Prince  of  Wales  by  every  post.  Some  of  these  he  commu- 


124         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

nicated  to  my  mother.  I  also  saw  some  of  them,  and  they  al- 
ways ended  up  in  this  way :  "  Please,  dear  Hotham,  get  my 
marriage  settled ;  my  impatience  increases  daily,  for  I  am  quite 
foolishly  in  love."  It  cannot  be  disputed  that  these  were  most 
romantic  feelings — he  had  never  even  seen  me  !  I  really  be- 
lieve it  was  more  obstinacy  than  love,  and  was  not,  therefore, 
much  flattered  by  his  protestations. 

The  suspicions  Hotham  had  raised  in  the  king's  mind  against 
Grumkow  began  to  take  effect.  My  father  scarcely  ever  spoke 
to  him  now,  and  abused  him  before  others  who  he  knew  would 
be  sure  to  repeat  to  him  what  they  heard.  Seckendorf  also 
stood  very  low  in  favor,  and  to  all  appearance  my  marriage  was 
a  certainty.  On  the  25th  the  queen  gave  birth  to  a  prince. 
He  was  named  Augustus  Ferdinand,  and  the  whole  Brunswick 
family  stood  sponsors.  On  the  30th  the  king  left  for  the  camp 
at  Miihlberg.  The  King  of  Poland's  love  of  pomp  and  splen- 
dor were  very  apparent  on  this  occasion.  Nearly  the  whole  of 
the  Saxon  army  was  assembled  in  the  camp,  and  performed  all 
the  evolutions  and  manoeuvres  laid  down  by  Polybius.  The 
uniforms,  liveries,  and  carriages  were  wonderfully  rich,  and  peo- 
ple say  that  this  camp  quite  exceeded  in  splendor  the  Field  of 
the  Cloth  of  Gold  which  took  place  in  France.* 

The  evening  before  his  departure,  my  brother  came  to  see 
me.  He  wore  a  French  uniform,  which  frightened  me  dread- 
fully. No  prince  or  officer  is  allowed  to  wear  any  other  uni- 
form than  his  own,  and  to  do  so  is  a  punishable  offence.  It  is 
true  that  it  could  matter  but  little  to  my  brother  whether  he 
was  turned  out  of  the  army  or  not ;  but,  considering  my  fa- 
ther's temper,  such  an  act  of  disobedience  might  have  led  to 
terrible  consequences.  "  I  come  to  take  leave  of  you,"  my 
brother  said,  "  and  do  so  with  the  greatest  grief.  God  knows 
when  we  shall  see  each  other  again !"  These  words  fell  on  me 

*  The  meeting  of  Francis  I.  of  France  and  Henry  VIII.  of  England  in 
1520. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         125 

like  a  thunder-bolt,  and  I  stood  there  petrified.  My  governess, 
who  had  more  presence  of  mind,  tried  to  induce  him  to  feel 
how  very  wrongly  he  was  acting  in  taking  this  step,  and  what 
cruel  consequences  it  might  have  for  us — just  now,  too,  when 
the  king  was  becoming  reconciled  to  England,  when  Secken- 
dorf  and  Grumkow  were  losing  their  influence,  and  when  every- 
thing seemed  turning  out  for  his  happiness.  He  would  destroy 
all  these  hopes  if  he  carried  out  his  purpose.  Besides,  the  king 
was  too  well  aware  of  the  intimate  relations  subsisting  between 
my  brother  and  myself  not  to  suspect  me  of  participation  in 
this  plot,  and  would  therefore  make  me  the  first  victim.  Al- 
ready it  was  but  too  apparent  how  much  our  great  devotion  to 
each  other  annoyed  him,  and  she  was  sure  that  he  was  on  the 
point  of  bringing  wretchedness  on  our  whole  family.  I  added 
my  entreaties  to  those  of  my  governess,  and  these  and  our  tears 
prevailed  so  far  as  to  induce  him  to  give  us  his  word  of  honor 
to  return  home  again. 

The  king  had  no  sooner  reached  Muhlberg  than  endeavors 
were  made  to  impress  on  him  that  the  measures  taken  by  Eng- 
land to  bring  about  the  marriages  were  only  moves  in  some 
deep-laid  game ;  that  it  was  intended  to  get  rid  of  the  king's 
most  trusty  and  devoted  servants.  He  was  further  told  that  the 
English  Court  was  ready,  in  order  to  gain  my  father's  consent 
to  the  crown  prince's  marriage,  to  acquiesce  in  the  most  strin- 
gent conditions,  but  that  its  real  object  was  to  depose  him,  so 
that  my  brother  might  assume  the  government.  I  have  often 
mentioned  that  suspicion  and  distrust  were  marked  traits  in  ray 
father's  character.  His  great  dislike  to  my  brother,  therefore, 
prevented  him  from  examining  into  the  truth  of  these  rumors, 
and  he  returned  to  Berlin  in  a  state  of  anger  that  boded  ill  for 
the  success  of  Hotham's  mission. 

The  king  at  last  spoke  to  the  queen  on  the  subject.  He  told 
her  that  he  was  most  anxious  to  see  me  provided  for  and  my 
future  settled,  but  that  he  would  never  agree  to  my  brother's 
marriage.  My  mother  tried  her  utmost  to  calm  him  and  allay 


126         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

his  suspicions,  and  she  seemed  to  have  succeeded  in  doing  so. 
The  Danish  envoy,  a  very  clever  man,  came  gallantly  to  her  aid, 
and  helped  finally  to  pacify  the  king.  He  spoke  to  him  about 
Gruinkow,  and  exposed  all  his  intrigues.  The  king  answered 
that  he  was  quite  willing  to  dismiss  him,  and  to  treat  him  se- 
verely, but  would  not  do  so  till  my  marriage  was  formally  de- 
clared. England,  however,  insisted  on  his  dismissal  before  this 
event.  The  king  left  Berlin  very  favorably  inclined. 

Grumkow,  who  had  his  spies  everywhere,  soon  learned  what 
had  passed  between  M.  von  Lovner,  the  Danish  envoy,  and  the 
king.  His  conscience  told  him  what  treatment  he  had  to  ex- 
pect if  all  his  plots,  double-dealings,  and  intrigues  were  discov- 
ered. The  queen  was  holding  receptions  during  this  time,  and 
Grumkow  was  imprudent  enough  to  appear  at  one  of  them. 
His  appearance  betrayed  his  state  of  mind  most  clearly,  for  he 
looked  like  a  culprit,  and  did  not  dare  raise  his  eyes  from  the 
ground.  The  queen  never  spoke  to  him,  nor  did  she  invite 
him  to  sit  at  her  table :  he  stood  the  whole  time  in  a  corner, 
and  nobody  went  near  him.  The  fall  of  a  man,  who  had  up  to 
this  time  been  honored  and  feared  by  all  as  much  as  the  king 
himself,  made  me  very  thoughtful.  His  fate  called  forth  my 
pity,  and  I  determined  to  speak  to  him.  I  accordingly  had  a 
long  conversation  with  him  on  trivial  subjects,  and  treated  him 
as  civilly  as  I  was  wont.  M.  von  Lovner  afterwards  expressed 
his  surprise  to  me  that  I  should  have  spoken  with  such  a  vil- 
lain, and  said  that  the  English  envoy  would  not  be  over-satis- 
fied when  he  heard  of  my  doing  so.  "  I  am  not  in  England," 
I  answered,  "  and  at  present  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should 
frame  my  behavior  according  to  the  ideas  of  that  nation.  I 
am  quite  well  aware  that  Grumkow  is  a  bad  man  and  my  bit- 
terest enemy,  but  his  misfortune  calls  forth  my  pity.  Believe 
me,  a  fallen  enemy  can  still  remain  dangerous.  For  my  part  I 
wish  him  no  other  punishment  than  that  of  being  unable  to 
do  any  further  harm."  M.  von  Lovner  has  often  since  remind- 
ed me  of  this  conversation,  and  of  the  truth  of  my  prophecy. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         127 

The  king  returned  to  Berlin  soon  after  this.  I  found  my 
brother  in  a  terrible  state  of  mind.  His  whole  being  had  so 
suffered  from  the  constant  ill-treatment  he  had  received,  and 
he  was  so  imbittered  against  his  father,  that  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  pacify  him. 

I  have  already  had  occasion  to  mention  Colonel  Rochow, 
who  was  about  my  brother's  person.  My  brother  had,  during 
moments  of  his  bitterest  despair,  let  fall  some  hints  of  his  plan 
of  flight  before  him.  This  imprudence  had  made  Rochow  pay 
greater  attention  to  the  prince  and  his  utterances,  and  he  found 
that  they  were  not  merely  wild  words  uttered  at  random,  but 
that  he  had  some  fixed  plan  ready  to  carry  into  execution. 
Rochow  went  to  Mademoiselle  von  Biilow,  and  begged  her  to 
speak  with  the  queen  about  it.  Had  he  been  a  discreet  man 
he  would  have  let  the  matter  rest  there,  but  as  it  was  he  went 
from  house  to  house  confiding  it  to  every  one.  My  mother 
was  greatly  alarmed  when  Mademoiselle  von  Biilow  spoke  to 
her  on  the  subject,  and  at  once  asked  me  if  I  knew  anything 
about  it.  I  answered  that  I  was  but  too  well  aware  of  my 
brother's  utter  state  of  despair,  and  that  he  only  hid  it  from 
her  to  spare  her  sorrow.  But  I  said  I  did  not  believe  him  ca- 
pable of  the  plan  attributed  to  him.  I  was  unable  to  say  more 
to  her  about  it  on  account  of  the  maid  Ramen.  I  begged  the 
queen  to  speak  with  my  brother,  but  in  all  love  and  gentleness, 
as  I  had  great  confidence  in  her  influence  with  him.  She  fol- 
lowed my  advice,  and  the  assurances  she  received  from  him  al- 
layed all  her  fears.  My  own  were,  however,  none  the  less,  and 
I  was  in  an  agony  of  mind.  I  could  not  confide  in  the  queen 
on  account  of  Ramen,  and  yet  I  was  powerless  to  avert  the 
threatened  blow. 

Meanwhile  the  replies  from  England  arrived.  Every  condi- 
tion the  king  had  made  as  regards  my  brother  was  agreed  to, 
but  the  English  Court  insisted  anew  on  Grumkow's  immediate 
dismissal.  Till  he  was  gone  the  consent  to  the  marriage  would 
be  withheld.  Intercepted  letters  from  Grumkow  were  at  the 


128         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH. 

same  time  sent  to  my  father.  Seckendorf,  who  had  his  spies 
everywhere,  heard  of  these,  and  to  be  beforehand  he  sought  an 
interview  with  the  king.  In  this  audience  Seckendorf  repre- 
sented to  his  master,  in  the  most  glowing  terms,  the  trouble 
and  pain  the  emperor  had  taken  to  gain  the  king's  friendship. 
He  had  not  only  allowed  him  the  right  of  getting  recruits  for 
his  army  in  his  dominions,  but  had  also  promised  him  to  be 
security  for  the  principalities  of  Jiilich  and  Berg.  Further- 
more, in  what  despair  the  emperor  would  be  when  he  found 
that  despite  all  his  efforts  the  king  had  thrown  himself  entirely 
into  the  arms  of  England.  If  the  king,  however,  were  so  de- 
sirous of  my  marriage,  then  the  emperor  would  not  object  to 
its  being  carried  out.  Seckendorf  then  continued  to  say,  with 
abject  hypocrisy,  "  I  am  an  honest  man,  and  have  been  devoted 
to  you  for  years  past :  your  position  causes  me  the  greatest 
alarm.  See  these  letters  which  I  received  from  England;  they 
prove  that  the  crown  prince  is  in  complete  understanding  with 
that  Court,  that  the  queen  has  expressed  herself  most  impru- 
dently as  to  the  steps  he  has  taken,  and  that  he  has  engaged 
himself  to  the  Princess  Amelia  without  your  knowledge,  and 
has  twice  written  to  the  Queen  of  England  on  the  subject. 
Grumkow  has  even  more  positive  information  about  all  this 
than  I  have,  and  is  ready  to  lay  it  before  your  Majesty.  Your 
Majesty  may  now  judge  for  yourself  as  to  the  dangers  to  which 
you  expose  yourself  if  you  consent  to  the  crown  prince's  mar- 
riage, and  dismiss  your  faithful  servants.  You  will  have  a 
daughter-in-law  for  whose  maintenance  the  State  is  not  able  to 
pay,  your  Court  will  be  filled  with  intriguers,  and  the  crown 
prince  will  soon  assume  the  government,  leaving  your  Majesty 
merely  the  bare  title  of  king,  while  lie  will  be  the  actual  sovereign. 
You  will  soon  feel  the  truth  of  all  I  have  said,  as  you  already  have 
the  beginning  of  it  before  your  eyes.  England  already  treats  you 
like  a  child.  It  dictates  its  commands  to  you,  and,  so  to  speak, 
coaxes  you  with  a  piece  of  sugar,  saying, '  If  you  dismiss  Grum- 
kow you  shall  have  the  sugar,  otherwise  you  get  nothing. ' ' 


MEMOIKS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         129 

Seckendorf's  long  speech,  which  he  accompanied  with  all  the 
necessary  action  and  exclamations,  fulfilled  its  object.  The 
king  became  very  silent  and  thoughtful,  and  though  he  made 
no  answer  Seckendorf  observed  that  he  had  succeeded  in  shak- 
ing him. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  the  day  after  this  conversation,  Hotham 
had  an  audience  with  the  king.  lie  began  by  saying  that  Eng- 
land was  quite  ready  to  agree  to  all  the  king's  conditions,  and 
to  further  all  his  objects,  but  that  his  king  did  not  doubt  that 
my  father  would  be  ready  on  his  part  to  sacrifice  Grumkow ; 
and  Hotham  thereupon  showed  the  king  Grurnkow's  intercept- 
ed letters.  My  father  took  the  letters,  white  with  rage,  and 
threw  them  in  Hotham's  face,  asking  whether  he  expected  him 
to  kick  him  if  he  only  lifted  up  one  foot,  with  which  remark 
he  left  the  room,  furiously  banging  the  door  behind  him. 
Hotham  left  the  Castle  no  less  angry — a  circumstance  which,  to 
people  acquainted  with  English  temper,  speaks  for  itself.  lie 
at  once  sent  for  the  Danish  and  Dutch  envoys,  told  them  of  all 
that  had  happened,  and  declared  that  he  considered  all  negotia- 
tions broken  off,  and  that  he  would  leave  Berlin  next  morning. 
It  was  only  with  the  greatest  trouble  that  these  gentlemen  in- 
duced Hotham  to  postpone  his  departure  for  a  few  days. 

The  king  had  no  sooner  reached  his  own  room  than  he  be- 
gan bitterly  to  regret  what  he  had  done,  foreseeing  the  results. 
He  was  in  perfect  despair.  The  queen  was  informed  of  what 
had  occurred  by  a  note  which  Hotham  wrote  to  Mademoiselle 
von  Biilow.  It  is  needless  to  say  how  greatly  distressed  she 
was  at  it.  At  last  we  went  to  dinner.  The  king  spoke  little, 
and  seemed  very  much  put  out.  As  soon  as  dinner  was  over, 
he  sent  for  the  Danish  and  Dutch  envoys,  and  asked  their  aid 
as  mediators  between  him  and  Hotham.  During  the  rest  of 
this  day,  which  was  spent  in  perpetual  "goings  and  comings," 
the  king  did  nothing  but  torment  my  mother  by  saying  that 
all  negotiations  with  England  were  broken  off.  That  as  he  did 
not  any  longer  know  "  with  what  sauce  to  serve  me,"  I  had 


130        MEMOIRS    OF  THE    MAKGKAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

better  become  Abbess  of  Herfort.  My  mother  answered  that 
she  should  be  quite  satisfied  with  this.  The  king,  therefore, 
wrote  to  the  Margravine  Philip,  who  was  at  this  time  the  Ab- 
bess of  Herfort,  begging  her  to  give  me  the  post  which  my 
youngest  sister  there  had.  That  she  readily  met  the  king's 
wishes  is  almost  unnecessary  to  state. 

As  the  king  became  aware  that  all  his  endeavors  to  pacify 
Hotham  had  been  unavailing,  he  now  desired  the  two  envoys 
to  offer  him  an  ample  apology  in  his  name.  My  brother,  who 
heard  of  this  from  M.  von  Lovner,  at  once  wrote  word  to  my 
mother,  mentioning  at  the  same  time  that  Lovner  had  begged 
him  to  write  to  the  English  envoy,  entreating  him  to  accept  the 
king's  excuse.  The  queen  entirely  approved  of  this  suggestion, 
and  my  brother  wrote  as  follows : 

"  SIR, — I  have  heard  from  M.  von  Lovner  of  the  king's  lat- 
est proposals,  and  feel  sure  that  you  will  agree  to  them.  You 
will  no  doubt  remember  that  the  whole  of  my  sister's  future 
happiness  and  my  own,  as  well  as  that  of  the  two  houses,  de- 
pend on  your  answer.  I  feel  convinced  that  your  reply  will 
fulfil  our  expectations,  and  that  you  will  yield  to  our  entreaties. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  gratitude  I  shall  owe  you  for  this  serv- 
ice rendered  by  you:  it  will  be  life-long, 

"  I  remain  always,  sir,          . 

"  Your  well-wisher  and  sincere  friend." 

Katt  was  sent  with  this  letter  to  Hotham.  The  queen  had 
grown  very  fond  of  Katt  in  consequence  of  my  brother's  con- 
stant, earnest  recommendations.  Half  an  hour  later  my  broth- 
er received  the  following  answer  from  Hotham  : 

"SiR, — M.  de  Katt  has  just  given  me  your  Royal  High- 
ness's  letter.  I  am  most  grateful  for  the  confidence  expressed 
in  me.  If  this  whole  business  concerned  me  only,  I  should 
leave  no  stone  unturned  to  prove  the  devotion  and  respect  I 
bear  your  Royal  Highness  and  your  wishes.  But  the  insult 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         131 

which  has  been  offered  me  touches  the  king,  ray  master,  and  for 
this  reason  I  cannot  give  way  to  your  Royal  Highness' s  request. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  place  the  whole  subject  in  the  best  possible 
light,  and  although  the  negotiations  have  been  for  the  present 
broken  off,  I  trust  that  they  are  not  so  finally. 

"  I  remain,  sir, 

"  Etc.,  etc.,  etc." 

How  greatly  this  answer  grieved  the  queen  will  easily  be  un- 
derstood. My  brother  threw  his  head  up  in  the  air,  saying, 
"  After  all,  the  misfortune  is  not  so  great ;"  then  turning  to  me, 
he  continued,  "  You  had  better  become  abbess,  for  then  you 
will  have  nothing  more  to  fear  from  the  Duke  of  Weissenfels 
or  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt.  It  is  really  not  worth  while  for 
the  queen  to  make  such  an  ado  about  the  business.  I  am  sick 
and  tired  of  the  whole  concern.  Do  you  do  what  you  like.  I 
have  nothing  more  to  reproach  myself  with  on  your  account. 
I  have  done  all  I  can  to  see  you  settled  in  England,  and  now 
the  time  has  come  to  think  of  myself.  Tears  and  entreaties 
are  no  longer  of  any  use.  I  have  suffered  enough.  You  must 
see  how  you  can  get  on  alone."  These  words,  which  he  uttered 
in  a  very  disdainful  manner,  hurt  me  extremely.  I  endeavored 
at  first  to  pacify  him  with  gentle  words ;  but  his  answers  were 
so  curt  and  rude  tkat  I  at  last  grew  angry,  and  said  some  sharp 
things  before  we  parted. 

My  brother  was  to  accompany  the  king  early  next  morning 
to  Anspach.  In  spite  of  my  anger  with  him,  I  determined  to 
make  one  last  effort  to  dissuade  him  from  carrying  out  his 
well -considered  plan.  I  loved  him  also  far  too  dearly  to  be 
long  angry  with  him.  I  consequently  began  a  fresh  conver- 
sation with  him  after  dinner.  His  answers,  however,  remained 
cold  and  curt.  At  last  he  said,  "  I  don't  know  why  you  tor- 
ment me  so  to  give  you  my  word  of  honor  to  return.  Who  has 
told  you  that  I  meditate  flight?  I  have  been  thinking  about 
it,  and  have  given  up  the  plan."  The  king  entered  the  room 


132         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

at  this  moment,  so  I  was  unable  to  say  anything,  and  merely 
embraced  my  brother,  who  whispered  to  me  that  he  would 
probably  come  and  see  me.  I  waited  for  him  in  my  room  a 
whole  hour.  At  last  a  note  was  brought  me  from  him  by  his 
valet,  full  of  excuses  and  assurances  of  his  affection. 

This  valet  was  a  young  man  who  had  always  served  him, 
and  had  studied  with  him.  He  was  clever,  and  had  till  now 
been  most  constant  in  his  fidelity  and  devotion  to  him.  He 
unfortunately  fell  in  love  with  one  of  the  queen's  maids,  a 
sworn  enemy  of  Ramon's.  As  my  brother  was  so  fond  of 
this  young  man,  he  allowed  him  to  marry.  No  sooner  had 
he  done  so  than  Ramen  tried  to  induce  his  wife,  by  means  of 
every  kind  of  flattery  at  her  disposal,  to  persuade  her  husband 
to  betray  his  master  to  the  king.  She  allowed  herself  to  be 
entrapped  by  this  Megsera's  soft  words,  and  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing her  husband  one  of  the  king's  spies.  My  brother  had  as 
yet  observed  nothing  of  this,  but  at  last  he  learned  the  truth 
in  the  crudest  manner. 

The  king  left  for  Anspach  the  following  day.  The  con- 
versation with  my  brother,  his  manner  and  his  answers,  made 
me  so  nervous  that  I  could  not  sleep  all  night.  I  spent  it  in 
talking  with  Mademoiselle  von  Sonhsfeld  and  in  crying  bit- 
terly, for  we  were  both  prepared  for  some  great  sorrow  and 
trouble. 

On  the  following  day  Hotham  sent  my  mother  Grumkow's 
letters,  which  she  communicated  to  me  after  having  read  them. 
There  were  six  or  seven  of  them.  Three  of  them  were  written 
in  the  month  of  February,  when  my  mother  was  so  dangerous- 
ly ill.  In  each  of  these  he  says :  "  Everybody  is  speaking  of 
the  queen's  serious  illness.  It  is  mere  pretence,  assumed  for 
the  purpose  of  softening  the  King  of  England's  heart.  She  is 
as  well  as  a  fish  in  water"  (this  is  his  own  expression).  "If 
possible,  let  the  king  know  this.  I  have  again  got  posts  for 
two  of  my  creatures,  so  as  to  be  able  to  play  upon  the  crown 
prince.  Please  continue  to  inform  me  of  all  the  sly  games 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         133 

going  on  at  your  Court."  In  another  letter  Grumkow  writes : 
"  I  have  settled  with  the  friend "  (this  was  Seclcendorf)  "  that 
he  is  to  tell  the  king  that  the  crown  prince  corresponds  with 
the  English  Court.  Write  me  a  letter  about  this  which  I  can 
show  to  the  fat  one"  (this  was  the  king).  "Don't  be  afraid,  I 
will  support  you,  and  will  take  care  we  are  not  found  out,  for  I 
can  do  what  I  like  with  him  "  (the  king).  And  then  he  always 
ended  with  the  same  refrain,  "The  queen  is  as  well  in  health  as 
a  fish  in  water."  In  the  month  of  March  Grumkow  wrote : 
"  The  measures  taken  by  the  Prince  of  Wales  surprise  me 
greatly.  What  in  the  world,  dear  Reichenbach,  does  Hotham's 
mission  mean  ?  Why  do  they  give  themselves  so  much  trouble 
about  marrying  a  princess  who  is  as  ugly  as  the  devil,  besides 
being  copper-colored,  disgusting,  and  silly  ?  I  cannot  under- 
stand how  this  prince,  who  has  free  choice,  can  be  satisfied 
with  such  a  moon-calf.  I  pity  him  with  all  my  heart;  he  ought 
to  be  spoken  to  about  it.  I  leave  this  to  you."  All  the  rest 
of  the  letters  were  written  in  the  same  strain. 

The  queen  received  company  three  times  a  week  at  Monbijou. 
This  was  a  little  garden  just  outside  the  town,  which  she  had 
herself  laid  out  and  beautified.  Grumkow  constantly  appeared 
here,  and  showed  by  his  demeanor  that  he  was  in  greater  favor 
than  ever. 

One  day  Katt  came  to  me  and  asked  me  if  I  had  any  mes- 
sage for  rny  brother.  He  was  sending  him  a  messenger,  and 
the  opportunity  was  quite  a  safe  one.  I  replied  that  I  was  sur- 
prised at  his  venturing  to  do  this;  for  if  the  king  found  it  out 
it  would  cost  him  his  whole  happiness,  and  only  cause  my 
brother  worry  and  annoyance.  I  at  any  rate  would  not  in- 
trust anything  to  this  messenger.  A  few  days  later  Mademoi- 
selle von  Billow  and  a  few  other  well-intentioned  people  came 
to  me  and  told  me  that  Katt  was  saying  everywhere  that  the 
crown  prince  was  thinking  of  flight.  That  he  had  at  the  same 
time  boasted  of  his  influence  and  of  the  great  favor  in  which 
he  was  held  by  his  master,  and  that  he  had  said  all  this  in  the 


134        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

presence  of  persons  there  was  reason  to  suspect.  He  had  also 
shown  about  a  beautiful  snuffbox  he  had  with  the  crown 
prince's  portrait  and  my  own  on  the  lid,  and  had  given  him- 
self airs  which  did  not  at  all  become  him.  I  was  of  opinion 
that  the  queen  should  be  told  of  Katt's  behavior,  first  of  all  in 
order  to  cause  him  to  be  silent,  and  secondly  to  get  the  snuff- 
box out  of  his  hands.  My  mother  was  very  angry  when  she 
heard  of  it,  and  desired  Mademoiselle  von  Billow  to  get  the 
snuffbox  with  the  miniature  from  Katt,  and  to  tell  him  of  her 
extreme  displeasure.  He  obstinately  refused  to  give  up  the 
box,  but  promised  not  to  show  it  about  any  more.  He  con- 
fessed to  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  that  he  had  copied  my 
portrait  from  one  my  brother  had  of  me,  and  which  he  had 
given  him  to  take  care  of  for  him.  After  this  occurrence 
neither  my  mother  nor  I  could  any  longer  endure  Katt.  One 
morning  when  I  woke  I  saw  Ramen  enter  my  room.  She  said 
she  came  purposely  to  speak  with  me,  and  to  confide  some- 
thing to  me  which  she  had  on  her  mind.  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld  wished  to  retire,  but  she  begged  her  to  remain  in 
the  room,  as  what  she  had  to  say  concerned  her.  "  You  are 
distressed,"  she  began,  "  that  the  queen  shows  you  so  little 
affection.  Thank  God  that  it  is  so,  for  to  be  in  her  favor  is 
enough  to  insure  your  dismissal.  I  happily  have  nothing  to 
fear,  for  I  am  quite  safe.  I  know  quite  well  that  you  are 
aware  of  all  my  double-dealings,  and  therefore  I  will  not  pre- 
tend to  deny  them ;  but  beware  if  you  speak  to  the  queen 
about  them :  I  shall  certainly  take  rny  revenge.  You  need 
be  under  no  illusion ;  the  king  shall  hear  of  it  at  once,  and 
his  anger  will  know  no  bounds.  The  queen,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  no  great  genius,  and  I  should  soon  make  her  believe 
that  all  you  had  told  her  was  slander,  and  I  should  manage  it 
in  such  a  way  that  all  the  harm  you  wished  to  do  me  would 
fall  back  on  yourself.  Dreadful  things  will  take  place  here, 
and  you  will  have  much  sorrow.  I  advise  you  to  make  up 
your  mind  to  accept  the  Duke  of  Weissenfcls.  After  all,  it 


MEMOIRS   OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH.        135 

is  not  such  a  very  important  matter  to  get  married.  I  know 
the  queen :  she  will  take  comfort  at  last,  and  the  king  will 
look  kindly  on  you,  and  then  everything  else  will  come  right." 

If  I  had  dared  I  would  have  thrown  this  insolent  woman  out 
of  the  window ;  as  it  was,  I  had  to  control  my  anger  and  deal 
gently  with  her.  I  understood  her  words  at  once,  and,  alas !  all 
came  but  too  true. 

But  to  return  to  Grumkow.  His  fate  was  that  of  those  who 
have  to  reproach  themselves.  At  times  his  conscience  pricked 
him,  and  he  became  morose.  The  following  Sunday  he  was,  as 
well  as  myself,  to  take  the  Holy  Communion,  and  had  had  the 
Court  chaplain,  Jablousky,  all  day  with  him.  I  had  so  much  to 
think  of  all  day  that  I  sat  down  quietly  in  the  garden  near 
Mademoiselle  von  Bulow  to  let  my  melancholy  thoughts  have 
free  course.  To  our  great  surprise  Grumkow  joined  us  there, 
and  began  holding  forth  to  us.  His  moral  reflections  sounded 
to  me  like  words  from  the  Bible  in  the  mouth  of  the  devil.  I 
did  not  wish  to  get  up  at  once  and  leave  my  seat,  but  as  I  knew 
the  queen's  mistrust,  I  broke  off  the  conversation  and  returned 
to  the  house.  He  followed  me  all  the  way,  and  at  last  said 
that  it  had  grieved  him  extremely  to  see  us  treated  so  unkind- 
ly by  the  king;  yet,  he  said,  he  thought  the  prince  should  give 
way  more  to  his  father's  wishes,  and  then  he  began  a  long  speech 
in  my  brother's  praise.  I  walked  on  faster  and  faster,  but  he 
would  not  let  himself  be  disturbed,  and  continued,  saying  that, 
as  I  had  so  much  influence  with  my  brother,  I  could  surely  re- 
call him  to  a  sense  of  his  duty.  He  was  an  amiable  prince,  but 
was  unfortunately  in  bad  hands.  I  answered  Grumkow  that  I 
knew  perfectly  what  were  the  duties  of  children  towards  their 
parents:  if  my  brother  followed  my  advice,  he  would  never 
fail  in  any  of  them,  and  would  always  obey  the  king's  orders  as 
soon  as  he  knew  what  they  were.  He  wanted  to  answer  me ; 
but  at  this  moment,  to  my  great  joy,  some  ladies  met  us,  and 
put  an  end  to  the  conversation.  M.  Jablousky  has  since  told 
me  that  Grumkow  had  been  in  a  strange  state  of  excitement  all 


136        MEMOIRS    OP   THE  MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

that  day,  and  everything  he  said  to  him  on  that  occasion  was 
in  connection  with  later  events. 

That  same  evening — it  was  the  12th  of  August — as  my 
mother  was  sitting  near  Mademoiselle  von  Billow,  and  taking 
off  her  head-dress,  they  heard  a  terrible  noise  in  my  mother's 
boudoir.  .This  room  was  beautifully  decorated  with  china, 
some  pieces  being  most  rare,  and  embossed  with  crystal  and 
precious  stones.  All  the  crown  plate,  too,  and  my  mother's 
jewel  -  case,  were  kept  in  this  room.  The  queen  at  once  ex- 
claimed that  all  her  china  had  been  broken,  and  that  it  must  be 
looked  after.  Mademoiselle  von  Biilow  and  three  maids  imme- 
diately entered  the  boudoir,  but  they  found  everything  in  order 
and  nothing  broken.  The  noise  was  repeated  three  times,  and 
they  also  heard  a  great  disturbance  in  the  corridor  connecting 
the  king  and  queen's  rooms,  at  the  end  of  which  sentinels  were 
always  posted.  The  queen  said,  "  I  cannot  stand  this ;  I  must 
go  and  see  myself  what  is  the  matter."  Upon  this  the  queen, 
Mademoiselle  von  Billow,  and  the  maids  each  took  a  candle 
and  stepped  out  into  the  corridor.  As  they  did  so  they  heard 
sighing  and  groaning  close  to  them,  but  could  discover  nobody. 
They  asked  the  sentinels  if  they  had  seen  anything,  and  they 
answered  No,  but  that  they  had  heard  the  same  noise.  My 
mother,  who  was  very  courageous,  caused  every  nook  and  cor- 
ner to  be  searched,  even  the  king's  rooms,  but  nothing  whatever 
was  discovered.  My  mother  and  those  that  were  present  with 
her  on  this  occasion  gave  me  an  account  of  everything  next 
day. 

A  few  days  afterwards  the  queen  gave  a  concert.  I  general- 
ly accompanied  on  the  piano  and  guitar,  and  every  amateur  in 
Berlin  was  present.  When  I  had  played  long  enough,  I  rose 
to  go  into  another  room,  where  some  ladies  were  playing  at 
cards.  I  was  suddenly  stopped  by  Katt,  who  said  to  me,  "  For 
God's  sake,  and  for  the  love  you  bear  your  brother,  listen  to 
me  for  a  moment.  I  am  distracted.  1  have  been  calumniated 
to  tlie  queen  and  to  yourself,  and  you  have  been  made  to  be- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTIT.         137 

lieve  that  I  have  put  the  idea  of  flight  into  the  crown  prince's 
head.  I  swear  to  your  Royal  Highness,  by  all  that  is  most 
holy,  the  whole  plan  was  settled  long  before  I  knew  anything 
of  it.  You  can  assure  the  queen  most  emphatically  from  me 
that  I  have  written  to  him,  and  told  him  that  if  he  carried  out 
his  intention  I  shall  not  follow  him.  But  there  is  nothing  to 
fear  this  time :  I  will  answer  for  it  with  my  head." 

"  I  already  see  your  head  shaking,"  I  replied,  "  and  fear  it 
will  soon  be  lying  at  your  feet.  What  pleasure  can  it  have 
afforded  you  to  have  proclaimed  everywhere  that  my  brother 
had  the  intention  of  taking  flight  ?  And  who  allowed  you  to 
have  a  snuffbox  with  my  portrait  on  it  ?' 

Katt  then  answered  me,  "  As  regards  your  first  question,  I 
merely  mentioned  your  brother's  idea  to  M.  von  Lovner,  and  a 
few  others  whom  I  knew  I  could  trust ;  then  as  to  your  second 
remark,  I  did  not  think  it  such  a  serious  matter  to  have  shown 
a  portrait  of  you  which  I  had  myself  painted." 

"  You  are  playing  a  dangerous  game,"  I  replied,  "  and  I  fear 
that  I  shall  prove  but  too  true  a  prophet." 

He  grew  very  pale,  and  answered,  "  Well,  if  misfortune  is  to 
be  my  fate,  then  it  will  be  in  a  good  cause,  and  I  know  that 
the  crown  prince  will  never  desert  me." 

This  was  my  last  conversation  with  Katt,  and  I  never  saw 
him  again.  I  had  not  thought  that  I  could  so  truly  have  fore- 
told what  was  in  store  for  him,  and  I  said  it  then  only  to  make 
him  more  modest  and  discreet. 

The  next  day  was  the  15th  of  August,  the  king's  birthday, 
and  every  one  came  to  congratulate  my  mother.  On  such  occa- 
sions the  Court  was  very  numerously  attended.  I  had  another 
long  conversation  with  Grurnkow.  He  had  got  rid  of  his  fit  of 
moroseness,  and  held  forth  at  length  on  my  father's  many  great 
qualities.  He  finished  up  the  conversation  by  saying,  "  I  shall 
soon  have  an  opportunity  of  proving  to  your  Royal  Highness 
how  truly  I  am  devoted  to  you."  He  said  this  in  such  a 
marked  manner  that  I  could  not  make  out  what  he  meant  by 


138        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREtJTH. 

it.  Mademoiselle  von  Billow  was  on  such  a  good  footing  with 
him  that  she  teased  him  on  every  possible  occasion.  Some- 
times the  jokes  went  too  far,  so  that  I  cautioned  her  to  be 
careful,  but  her  great  vivacity  carried  her  beyond  herself.  On 
the  present  occasion  she  and  Grumkow  were,  as  usual,  having  a 
friendly  altercation ;  but  he  wound  up  the  dispute  by  using  al- 
most the  same  words  as  he  had  addressed  to  me,  "  You  will 
shortly  find  out  how  true  a  friend  of  yours  I  am." 

The  queen  had  prepared  a  fete  at  Mon bijou  for  the  next  day, 
which  was  to  be  a  surprise  for  us  all.  It  was  also  to  celebrate 
a  second  time  the  king's  birthday.  I  shall  never  forget  this 
day.  My  mother  had  arranged  the  supper-table  most  beauti- 
fully, and  each  guest  found  a  charming  little  present  under  his 
napkin.  We  were  all  in  the  highest  spirits,  except  Countess 
Finkenstein  and  Mademoiselle  von  Bulow,  who  never  uttered  a 
word.  After  supper  there  was  a  ball,  and  as  I  loved  dancing 
I  enjoyed  myself  to  my  heart's  content.  Mademoiselle  von 
Biilow  said,  several  times,  "  It  is  late,  I  wish  the  dancing  would 
stop !"  to  which  I  replied,  "  Oh,  do  let  me  have  the  pleasure 
of  dancing  as  long  as  possible.  I  shall  not  soon  have  the  op- 
portunity again."  "That  is  very  likely,"  she  answered.  At 
the  end  of  half  an  hour  she  touched  my  arm  and  said,  "  Do 
put  an  end  to  the  ball ;  you  have  danced  quite  enough.  You 
are  so  engrossed  by  it  that  you  neither  see  nor  hear."  "  But 
what  is  the  matter  ?"  I  answered,  in  great  astonishment.  "  Look 
at  your  mother,"  Mademoiselle  von  Billow  said,  pointing  to 
the  queen,  who  was  standing  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  talking 
in  whispers  to  Countess  Finkenstein,  Madame  von  Konnken, 
and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld.  All  four  were  pale  as  death, 
and  showed  symptoms  of  the  greatest  alarm.  I  asked  at  once 
what  was  the  matter,  and  if  it  concerned  my  brother.  Madem- 
oiselle von  Billow  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  said  she  knew 
nothing.  The  queen  at  last  took  leave  of  the  company  and 
got  into  her  carnage  with  me,  but  she  never  spoke  one  word 
the  whole  way  home.  My  heart  began  beating  furiously ;  I 


MEMOIRS   OP  THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         139 

was  in  a  terrible  state  of  agitation,  and  yet  I  dared  not  ask 
her  a  single  question. 

No  sooner  had  I  reached  my  room  than  I  tormented  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld  to  tell  me  what  had  happened.  "  You 
will  learn  it  but  too  soon,"  she  replied.  Yet  as  she  saw  the 
state  of  mind  in  which  I  was,  she  continued,  "  The  queen  was 
anxious  not  to  disturb  your  rest,  and  has  therefore  forbidden 
me  to  mention  anything  of  what  has  occurred."  As,  however, 
she  now  saw  in  what  great  distress  I  was,  she  thought  it  bet- 
ter to  tell  me  the  truth  than  to  let  me  suppose  even  worse 
news.  She  then  proceeded  to  say  that  the  king  had  sent  a 
messenger  to  the  mistress  of  the  robes,  Madame  von  Konnken, 
to  tell  her  he  had  been  obliged  to  arrest  the  crown  prince,  as 
he  had  discovered  his  intention  of  taking  flight.  Madame  von 
Konnken  was  to  tell  this  to  the  queen,  as  he  wished  to  spare 
her  health,  and  she  was  to  give  her  the  enclosed  letter.  "  The 
crown  prince  was  arrested  on  the  llth,"  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld  continued — "  the  very  same  day  on  which  the  queen 
heard  all  that  noise  in  the  corridor."  I  thought  I  must  have 
fainted  on  hearing  all  this.  My  grief  about  my  brother  knew 
no  bounds,  and  I  spent  a  terrible  night 

Early  next  morning  my  mother  at  once  sent  for  me,  and 
showed  me  the  king's  letter,  which  had  evidently  been  written 
in  the  first  heat  of  passion:  "I  have  arrested  and  imprisoned 
the  scoundrel  (Schurke),  and  shall  treat  him  as  his  crime  and 
cowardice  deserve.  I  no  longer  acknowledge  him  as  my  son. 
He  has  cast  dishonor  on  me  as  well  as  on  my  family.  Such  a 
wretch  as  he  is  does  not  deserve  to  live."  My  mother  and  I 
were  beside  ourselves  with  misery. 

The  queen  then  told  me  that  Katt  had  been  secretly  arrested 
next  day,  and  all  his  papers  and  possessions  seized.  Marshal 
Natzmer  had  been  intrusted  with  this  task. 

As  this  whole  occurrence  sounds  very  strange,  I  must  try 
and  explain  it  all.  Grumkow  had  been  in  possession  of  the 
fact  of  the  crown  prince's  arrest  since  the  15th,  and  could  not 


140        MEMOIRS    OF  THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

resist  telling  several  people  of  Ins  great  satisfaction  at  it.  M. 
von  Lovner,  the  Danish  envoy,  had  been  informed  by  his  spies 
of  the  probable  arrest  of  Katt,  and  had  written  him  a  note 
advising  him  to  fly  before  it  was  too  late.  Katt  accordingly 
went  next  morning  to  Marshal  Natzmer  and  asked  leave  to  go 
to  Friedrichsfelde,  where  the  Margrave  Albert  had  invited  him 
to  dinner.  As  Natzmer  had  not  then  received  any  orders  from 
the  king,  he  gave  him  permission  to  go.  Katt  had  ordered  a 
saddle  to  be  made  on  purpose  for  him,  in  which  he  could  put 
money  and  papers  and  even  clothes.  This  saddle  was  unfortu- 
nately not  quite  finished,  and  this  delayed  his  departure,  and 
he  employed  the  time  he  was  kept  waiting  in  burning  letters 
and  papers.  Just  as  he  was  about  to  mount  his  horse  Marshal 
Natzmer  appeared  and  desired  him  to  give  up  his  sword.  Natz- 
mer had  waited  three  hours  after  receiving  the  king's  orders 
to  arrest  Katt,  in  order  to  give  the  unfortunate  young  man  a 
chance  of  escape,  and  was  therefore  not  a  little  surprised  when 
he  still  found  him  in  Berlin. 

When  my  mother  had  somewhat  recovered  from  her  first 
burst  of  grief,  she  asked  me  if  I  had  known  of  my  brother's 
intentions.  I  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  then  proceeded 
to  tell  her  everything  that  had  passed  on  the  subject,  saying 
that  I  had  not  told  her  anything  of  it  that  she  might  not  be 
involved  if  he  did  carry  out  his  plan,  but  that  after  what  Katt 
had  lately  told  me  I  had  not  been  in  the  least  prepared  for 
this  catastrophe.  "But  what  has  he  done  with  our  letters?'' 
the  queen  said.  "  We  are  lost  if  they  are  discovered."  "  I 
have  often  spoken  to  him  about  this,"  I  answered,  "  and  he 
has  always  assured  me  that  he  had  destroyed  them."  "  But  I 
know  him  better,"  my  mother  replied,  "  and  I  am  sure  they  an- 
among  Katt's  papers."  "That  is  possible,"  T  said,  "  and  if  so, 
then  my  head  is  in  danger."  "And  mine  too,"  the  quccu 
answered.  "  I  have  sent  for  Countess  Finkcnstein  and  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Sonnsfeld,  to  consult  with  them  as  to  what  can 
be  done."  And  we  really  heard  next  day  that  all  my  brother's 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        141 

papers  were  among  Katt's  things.  The  officers  who  had  been 
present  when  these  were  seized  described  to  me  all  the  differ- 
ent boxes,  and  I  recognized  from  the  description  the  casket 
which  contained  our  letters.  After  much  consideration,  the 
queen  determined  to  seek  the  aid  of  her  chaplain,  Reinbeck, 
in  this  matter.  He  was  to  ask  Natzmer  to  find  some  means  of 
getting  the  casket  out  of  Katt's  house.  Reinbeck  was  unfort- 
unately ill,  and  could  not  come.  These  letters  were  of  the  ut- 
most importance  to  us.  In  several  of  them  I  had  expressed 
myself  in  very  strong  terms  about  the  king.  I  repeat  it  here 
again,  that  I  have  reproached  myself  over  and  over  again  for 
having  been  wanting  in  respect  towards  him.  In  spite  of  my 
sharp  words  I  loved  my  father  dearly,  and  it  was  more  from  a 
desire  to  show  off  my  cleverness  than  from  any  evil  motive 
that  I  wrote  about  him  as  I  did.  But  to  return  to  my  sub- 
ject. 

Next  morning  Countess  Finkenstein  came  to  my  room  in  a 
great  state  of  alarm,  exclaiming,  "  I  am  lost !  Yesterday  on  rny 
return  from  the  queen  I  found  a  casket  sealed  with  Katt's  arms, 
addressed  to  the  queen  at  my  house,  accompanied  by  this  note." 
She  gave  it  to  me  to  read,  and  its  contents  were  as  follows : 
"  Pray  have  the  goodness  to  deliver  this  casket  into  the  queen's 
hands;  it  contains  her  correspondence  and  the  princess's  with 
the  crown  prince."  "  Four  trusty  friends  brought  the  box  and 
letter  to  my  servants,"  Countess  Finkenstein  continued ;  "  I  do 
not  know  what  I  am  to  decide  on  doing.  Am  I  to  say  any- 
thing to  the  queen  about  it,  or  shall  I  send  it  to  the  king?  If 
I  do  this  last,  then  I  may  be  certain  of  sharing  Katt's  fate." 
We  teased  and  begged  her  so  long  that  she  consented,  although 
in  fear  and  trembling,  to  speak  with  the  queen  about  it.  My 
mother  was  greatly  relieved  at  this  good  news,  till  she  reflected 
where  she  was  to  hide  the  casket.  If  we  made  a  mystery 
about  it,  and  Katt  were  to  mention  it  during  the  inquiry  held 
on  his  conduct,  then  Countess  Finkenstein  would  be  ruined, 
and  my  mother  would  lay  herself  open  to  every  kind  of  sus- 


142         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

picion,  and  consequently  would  be  exposed  to  the  king's  fury. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  casket  were  brought  openly  to  the 
queen,  then  my  father  would  hear  of  it,  and  he  would  force  the 
queen  to  give  up  these  luckless  letters  -to  him,  by  doing  which 
she  would  herself  work  her  own  destruction. 

After  due  consideration,  and  weighing  carefully  all  the  ad- 
vantages and  disadvantages,  it  was  decided  to  make  no  mystery 
of  the  matter,  and  the  casket  was  brought  to  the  queen,  who 
locked  it  up  in  her  boudoir  in  the  presence  of  all  her  house- 
hold. 

No  sooner  had  one  difficulty  been  surmounted  than  another 
presented  itself.  The  question  now  was  how  to  destroy  the  let- 
ters. The  queen  was  of  opinion  that  they  had  best  be  burned, 
and  the  king  told  quite  simply  that  they  were  of  no  importance 
of  any  kind,  and  that  she  had  not  thought  it  necessary  to  show 
them  to  him.  This  proposition,  however,  met  with  general  dis- 
approval, and  the  whole  day  was  spent  in  useless  discussion. 
The  next  day  I  and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  again  care- 
fully considered  what  could  be  done.  At  last  I  said,  "  I  have 
thought  of  a  last  resource,  but  we  must  be  careful  that  we  risk 
nothing.  The  seal  on  the  casket  is  only  of  leather ;  we  must 
break  it,  break  the  lock,  take  out  our  letters  and  write  others, 
which  we  must  put  in  the  casket  in  their  stead.  I  think  we 
shall  hardly  need  even  to  break  the  seal,  and  if  the  queen  will 
only  promise  solemnly  not  to  say  anything  to  Ramen  about  it, 
I  will  at  once  set  to  work."  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  en- 
tirely approved  of  my  idea,  and  we  proposed  its  execution  to 
the  queen,  who  agreed.  We  explained  to  her  how  all-impor- 
tant it  was  to  keep  it  a  profound  secret  from  Ramcn,  who  saw 
so  many  people,  and  might  let  drop  a  word  which  would  at 
once  rouse  suspicion.  The  queen  promised  to  say  nothing  to 
her  about  it,  and  kept  her  word.  That  afternoon  she  sent  all 
her  ladies  away,  and  kept  me  alone  with  her.  As  the  casket 
was  too  heavy  for  the  queen  and  me  to  lift,  we  had  to  take  her 
page  into  our  confidence;  but  we  ran  no  risk  in  doing  so,  for 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE  MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         143 

he  was  an  old,  tried,  and  faithful  servant.  It  was  not  possible 
to  undo  the  cords  which  were  tied  round  the  casket  without 
breaking  the  seal,  and  this  necessity  made  us  tremble.  How- 
ever, when  we  came  to  examine  the  seal  we  found  it  a  very 
simple  one.  The  arms  on  it  were  composed  of  a  dog  surround- 
ed by  implements  of  war,  and  we  thought  we  might  easily  find 
one  like  it,  and,  as  good-luck  would  have  it,  the  queen's  page's 
own  seal  was  very  similar  to  it.  We  broke  open  the  lock,  and 
began  our  examination  of  the  letters. 

The  sight  of  them  caused  me  a  deadly  fear.  I  had  often 
secretly  written  to  my  brother,  and,  to  escape  discovery  in  case 
the  letters  fell  into  the  king's  hands,  we  had  used  lemon-juice 
instead  of  ink.  If  you  held  the  letter  close  to  the  fire  you 
could  decipher  the  writing.  My  letters  contained  chiefly  abuse 
of  Ramen,  and  complaints  of  her  influence  over  the  queen. 
The  effect  these  letters  would  produce  on  my  mother,  if  she 
read  them,  would  be  anything  but  pleasant  for  me.  And  this 
would  have  happened  had  not  the  chaplain,  Reinbeck,  been  an- 
nounced to  her  at  this  moment,  and  extricated  me  from  the 
difficulty.  As  the  queen  had  sent  for  Reinbeck  some  days 
previously,  she  could  not  do  otherwise  than  receive  him.  My 
mother  was  so  nervous  at  all  that  was  taking  place  that  she 
said  to  me,  as  she  left  the  room,  "For  goodness'  sake  burn 
every  single  one  of  these  horrid  letters."  I  did  not  require  to 
be  told  this  twice,  and  all  my  letters,  five  hundred  in  number, 
fell  a  prey  to  the  flames.  I  then  next  destroyed  my  mother's 
letters,  and  had  just  finished  my  task  when  she  returned.  We 
then  proceeded  to  look  through  the  other  papers.  We  found 
two  French  passports  made  out  in  the  name  of  Ferrand,  a  letter 
from  my  brother  to  Katt,  and  some  quite  unimportant  papers. 
Then  we  lighted  on  a  bag  with  a  thousand  pistoles,*  some 
notes  and  meditations  in  my  brother's  handwriting,  and  some 
jewels  in  gold,  as  also  in  precious  stones. 

*  A  gold  coin  of  the  value  of  about  fifteen  shillings. 


144        MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

His  letter  to  Katt  was  written  as  follows:  "I  am  leaving, 
dear  Katt,  and  have  taken  such  precautions  that  I  risk  nothing. 
I  go  first  to  Leipsic,  where  I  shall  give  myself  out  a  Marquis 
d'Ambreville.  Keith  is  already  informed  of  all,  and  goes 
straight  to  England.  Don't  lose  any  time,  for  I  hope  to  find 
you  at  Leipsic.  Good-by  !  Be  of  good  courage."  We  thought 
it  best  to  burn  all  these  things.  For  several  days  we  were  busi- 
ly occupied  in  writing  letters  with  different  dates.  But  how 
could  we  possibly  manage  to  write  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred 
of  these  missives  ?  We  therefore  took  sheets  of  paper  with 
the  dates  of  different  years,  and  folded  them  so  tightly  together 
that  the  devil  even  would  have  noticed  nothing.  Yet,  in  spite 
of  all  our  trouble,  the  casket  was  still  so  empty  that  that  would 
have  betrayed  us,  so  my  mother  filled  it  up  with  a  quantity  of 
snuffboxes  and  other  knick-knacks.  I  did  not  like  this,  and 
offered  to  write  a  hundred  more  letters,  but  the  queen  would 
not  hear  of  it.  We  therefore  replaced  the  lock  and  fastened 
up  the  casket,  and  no  one  could  ever  have  discovered  that  it 
had  been  tampered  with. 

The  king  arrived  on  the  evening  of  the  27th,  his  household 
having  preceded  him.  We  asked  in  vain  after  my  brother; 
nobody  could  give  us  any  news  of  him,  or  knew  where  he  was. 
They  could  only  tell  us  of  the  circumstances  and  manner  of  his 
arrest.  As  this  account  tallies  with  all  my  brother  has  since 
told  us  about  it,  I  think  it  will  be  well  if  I  repeat  it  here. 

When  ray  brother  arrived  at  Anspach  he  complained  bitterly 
to  the  Margrave  of  the  ill-usage  he  received  at  the  king's  hands. 
He  added  that,  not  satisfied  with  abusing  him  before  his  family, 
he  had  publicly  insulted  him,  and  had  on  several  occasions  even 
said  to  him,  "  If  my  father  treated  me  as  I  do  you,  I  should 
have  run  away  a  thousand  times  over.  But  you,  you  are  such 
an  arrant  coward,  you  have  courage  for  nothing."  This  reiter- 
ated remark  at  last  determined  my  brother  on  carrying  out  his 
intention.  He  asked  the  Margrave  to  lend  him  his  fastest 
horse,  saying  he  wished  to  go  for  a  ride;  but  as  the  former 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRA.VIXE    OF   BAIREUTH.         145 

knew  nothing  of  my  brother's  plan,  he  put  off  the  ride  till  after 
the  king's  departure.  As  ray  brother  saw  his  first  attempt 
thwarted,  he  thought  of  another.  Katt's  messenger  met  my 
brother  a  few  miles  beyond  Anspach.  I  knew  of  this  messen- 
ger, but  I  have  never  learned  what  the  contents  of  the  letters 
he  brought  were.  He  answered  at  once  that  he  intended  to 
take  flight  two  days  later,  and  that  he  advised  him  to  do  the 
same  :  they  would  rueet  at  the  Hague.  My  brother  again  as- 
sured Katt  that  his  plan  would  certainly  succeed.  If  he  were 
pursued,  he  could  then  take  refuge  in  the  monasteries  which 
were  on  his  road.  He  sent  this  answer  back  by  the  same  mes- 
senger. The  crown  prince  had  unfortunately  forgotten  to  ad- 
dress the  letter  to  Berlin.  A  cousin  of  Katt's  was  stationed  ten 
or  twelve  miles*  from  Anspach,  and  the  .messenger,  instead  of 
going  on  to  Berlin,  delivered  the  letter  to  this  officer. 

The  king  meanwhile  had  continued  his  journey  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Frankfort,  and  found  himself  compelled  with  his 
suite  to  spend  the  night  in  some  barns  in  a  small  village.  The 
crown  prince  had  a  barn  appropriated  to  him,  in  which  he,  Colo- 
nel Rochow,  and  his  valet  were  to  sleep.  The  king  had  made 
Keith's  brother  his  page.  This  young  man  was  very  stupid,  so 
that  my  brother  had  said  nothing  to  him  of  his  intentions.  He 
determined,  however,  to  take  advantage  of  this  lad's  stupidity, 
and  told  him  to  wake  him  at  four  in  the  morning,  as  he  wished 
to  go  to  the  neighboring  village  in  quest  of  adventures;  also 
to  get  him  horses,  which  was  an  easy  thing,  as  a  horse-fair  was 
being  held  close  by.  The  page  did  as  he  was  told,  but  mistook 
the  bed,  and  woke  the  valet  instead  of  the  crown  prince.  This 
man  had  presence  of  mind  enough  to  pretend  that  he  had  not 
observed  anything,  so  he  lay  quiet,  watching  the  course  of 
events.  My  brother  rose  hastily,  dressed  himself  in  a  French 
uniform  instead  of  his  own,  and  left  the  barn.  The  valet  in- 
stantly told  Rochow  what  he  had  seen,  and  he  rushed  to  the 

*  Twenty  or  twenty-four  English  miles, 


146        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

king's  generals  and  suite  and  told  them  of  it.  These  were  Gen- 
erals Bedenbruck,  Waldow,  and  Derchow.  The  last  named  was 
a  thorough  scoundrel,  and  as  true  a  son  of  Satan  as  ever  walked 
this  earth  ;  he  was,  besides,  a  sworn  enemy  to  my  brother. 
These  four  gentlemen  at  once  went  out  to  look  for  the  prince, 
and  after  having  searched  the  village  thoroughly  found  him  in 
the  market-place,  leaning  against  a  carriage.  His  French  uniform 
startled  them  at  once,  and  they  asked  him,  at  first  respectfully, 
what  he  was  doing  there.  My  brother  has  often  told  me  since 
that  his  despair  and  fury  at  having  been  discovered  were  so 
great  that,  but  that  he  had  no  arms,  he  would  have  attempt- 
ed violence.  He  answered  them  very  brusquely.  "  Sir,"  they 
said,  "the  king  is  awake,  and  intends  starting  in  half  an  hour; 
for  goodness'  sake  change  your  clothes  before  he  sees  you !" 
The  prince  refused  to  do  so,  and  said  he  was  going  for  a  walk, 
and  would  be  back  before  the  king  left.  They  were  still  dis- 
puting when  Keith  appeared  with  the  horses.  My  brother  en- 
deavored to  jump  on  one  of  them,  but  the  gentlemen  surround- 
ed him  and  took  him  back  to  the  barn,  where  they  forced  him 
to  change  his  uniform.  His  state  of  mind  resembled  that  of 
a  madman.  They  reached  Frankfort  that  "evening,  and  next 
morning  the  king  received  a  messenger  sent  by  Katt's  cousin, 
sending  him  my  brother's  letter.  The  king  at  once  summoned 
Rochow  and  Waldow,  and  communicated  this  beautiful  news 
to  them.  It  is  said  that  the  valet  had  already  told  my  father 
of  the  scene  enacted  that  morning. 

The  king  desired  the  two  gentlemen  to  watch  my  brother, 
and  to  answer  for  him  with  their  lives.  He  then  commanded 
the  crown  prince  to  be  immediately  brought  on  board  the  yacht 
on  which  they  were  going  from  Frankfort  to  Wesel,  and  his 
orders  were  at  once  obeyed.  This  was  the  llth  of  August. 

My  father  came  on  board  the  yacht  next  morning.  As  soon 
as  he  caught  sight  of  my  brother  he  sprang  upon  him,  and 
would  have  throttled  him  had  not  General  Waldow  liberated 
him.  The  king  tore  my  brother's  hair  out  in  handfuls,  and  in 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         147 

one  moment  beat  him  till  he  bled.  At  length  the  entreaties  of 
the  gentlemen  prevailed  on  the  king  to  allow  the  crown  prince 
to  be  removed  to  another  vessel.  They  took  his  sword  from 
him  and  all  his  clothes,  but  discovered  no  papers  of  any  kind, 
for  the  valet  had  taken  possession  of  these  before  the  search 
commenced,  and  burned  them  in  my  brother's  presence.  In 
doing  this  he  had  rendered  my  mother  and  myself  a  signal 
service.  Nothing  farther  of  importance  took  place  during  the 
journey.  The  king  never  saw  my  brother,  but  swore  he  should 
die — an  oath  which  he  repeated  constantly. 

My  brother  meanwhile  tried  his  utmost  to  discover  some 
means  of  eluding  the  watchfulness  of  the  two  gentlemen. 

In  this  manner  Wesel  was  at  last  reached.  The  king 
strengthened  the  watch  put  on  the  prince  by  adding  a  com- 
pany of  soldiers,  and  treated  him  like  a  State  prisoner.  The 
next  day  he  sent  for  my  brother.  There  was  nobody  present 
with  the  king  but  General  Mosel,  a  brave  officer  and  a  most 
upright  man. 

At  first  my  father  asked  my  brother  in  a  furious  tone  why 
he  wished  "  to  desert ;"  this  was  his  own  expression.  "  Why 
did  I  wish  to  do  so  ?"  the  prince  replied,  in  a  firm,  calm  voice, 
"  Because  you  do  not  treat  me  like  your  son,  but  like  a  slave." 
"  You  are  a  mean  deserter ;  you  have  neither  courage  -nor 
honor !"  the  king  screamed  at  him. 

"  I  have  as  much  as  you  have,"  the  prince  answered,  "  and  I 
have  only  done  that  which,  as  you  yourself  told  me,  a  hundred 
times  over,  you  would  have  done  had  you  been  in  my  place." 
This  answer,  and  the  voice  in  which  it  was  made,  drove  the 
king  into  a  perfect  frenzy.  He  drew  his  sword,  and  would 
have  pierced  my  brother  through  with  it,  had  not  General 
Mosel  thrown  himself  between  them.  This  honest  man  called 
out,  "  My  sovereign,  kill  me,  but  spare  your  son  !"  He  defend- 
ed my  brother  so  well  with  his  own -person  that  the  king  could 
not  strike  at  him.  From  that  day  my  father  and  my  brother 
were  never  allowed  to  meet,  It  was  represented  to  the  king 


148        MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MAKGKAVINE    OF    BAIKEUTH. 

that  my  brother's  life  was  at  all  times  in  his  power,  but  that 
such  behavior  was  opposed  to  all  the  principles  of  Christianity. 
Upon  this  the  king  never  asked  again  to  see  his  son. 

A  few  days  only  were  spent  at  Wesel,  and  the  journey  was 
then  continued  to  Berlin.  My  brother — this  was  the  king's 
order — was  to  follow  in  four  days.  My  father,  who  did  not 
sufficiently  trust  his  two  Arguses,  appointed  a  third,  General 
Dostow,  who  was  as  great  a  scoundrel  as  Derchow.  In  spite 
of  the  king's  orders,  Waldow  and  Rochow  allowed  the  crown 
prince  to  receive  visits.  In  that  part  of  the  country  my  brother 
was  adored ;  his  generosity,  courtesy,  and  goodness  had  won  him 
all  hearts.  The  cruel  treatment  he  had  received  from  the  king 
was  an  excuse  for  everything,  but  at  the  same  time  made  all 
tremble  for  his  life.  He  had  found  numbers  of  people  who  would 
gladly  have  risked  their  lives  to  set  him  at  liberty.  Ropes  had 
already  been  brought  him,  by  which  to  let  himself  down  from 
the  windows,  and  a  disguise  in  the  shape  of  a  peasant's  dress, 
in  which  to  escape,  when  General  Dostow's  appearance  spoiled 
all  his  plans.  As  Dostow  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  king, 
and  was  anxious  to  pay  him  as  much  court  as  possible,  he  of- 
fered to  take  the  sole  watch  over  the  prince,  pretending  that 
lie  wished  to  lighten  Waldow  and  Rochow's  work.  From  this 
time  forward  my  brother  was  so  incessantly  watched  that  it 
was  quite  impossible  to  try  to  think  of  escaping.  He  started 
four  days  after  the  king,  and  was  by  his  orders  taken  to  some 
place  six  or  seven  miles  beyond  Berlin. 

After  the  king's  arrival,  the  queen  went  alone  to  see  him  in 
his  room.  As  soon  as  he  saw  her  he  said,  in  a  furious  tone, 
"  Your  son  is  dead  !"  and  then  at  once,  "  Where  is  the  casket 
with  the  letters  ?" 

My  poor  mother  cried  out  in  great  distress,  saying  how  was 
it  possible  to  believe  that  he  could  have  made  his  son  a  victim 
of  his  "  barbarous  "  fury. 

"He  is  dead,"  the  king  repeated, "  and  I  will  have  the  cas- 
ket. The  queen  fetched  it,  and  as  she  brought  it  called  out, 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OT?   BAIREUTH.         149 

"  Oh,  ray  God,  my  God  !"  I  heard  these  lamentations,  which 
pierced  me  through  and  through.  The  king  had  scarcely  got 
hold  of  the  casket  when  he  broke  it  open  and  tore  the  papers 
out  of  it,  and  therewith  left  the  room.  The  queen  lost  not  a 
moment  in  taking  possession  of  the  seals  and  whatever  else 
there  was  which  could  rouse  suspicion,  and  gave  them  to  me  to 
burn.  My  mother  afterwards  came  and  told  us  all  that  had 
passed  between  her  and  the  king.  God  alone  knows  what  I 
endured  during  this  terrible  tale,  and  I  burst  out  crying  vio- 
lently. 

At  this  moment  my  father  entered  the  room.  In  the  terri- 
ble state  of  uncertainty  in  which  we  were  as  to  my  brother's 
fate,  I  did  not  know  what  I  had  best  do.  My  sisters  and  I 
approached  the  king  to  kiss  his  hand,  but  he  had  so  sooner 
caught  sight  of  me  than  he  became  black  with  rage,  and  hit 
me  so  violently  in  the  face,  one  blow  striking  my  temple,  that 
I  fell  insensible  to  the  ground.  The  king  wanted  to  kick  me 
and  repeat  his  blows;  but  the  queen  and  my  sisters  surround- 
ed me  like  a  wall,  and  prevented  his  touching  me.  One  of  my 
sisters,  seeing  me  lying,  as  it  were,  lifeless,  fetched  a  glass  of 
water  with  a  little  spirits,  to  try  and  restore  me  to  conscious- 
ness. The  king  was  struggling  meanwhile  with  my  defenders, 
and  prevented  my  being  lifted  up  from  the  ground.  After 
much  rubbing,  and  smelling  strong  salts,  I  recovered  sufficient- 
ly to  be  placed  on  a  stool  which  stood  in  the  window.  How 
gladly  I  would  have  remained  in  my  unconscious  condition  ! 
It  is  impossible  for  me  to  describe  our  despairing  condition. 
The  king  was  almost  choked  with  rage,  and  had  a  wild  look  in 
his  eyes,  while  his  face  was  red  and  swollen,  and  his  mouth 
foaming.  The  queen  was  crying  and  wringing  her  hands. 
My  sisters  were  kneeling  at  my  father's  feet — even  our  little 
tiny  sister  of  three  years  old — all  sobbing  bitterly.  Madame 
von  Konnken  and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  stood  there  pale 
as  death,  unable  to  speak,  and  I — I  was  in  the  very  depths  of 
despair.  I  was  shivering  from  head  to  foot,  and  a  cold  pcrspi- 


150        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH, 

ration  poured  off  my  face.  My  father  now  said  that  ray  broth- 
er was  not  dead,  but  that  "by  all  holy  angels"  he  would  kill 
him  !  These  reiterated  assertions  roused  me  from  my  lethargy, 
and  I  cried  out,  "  Spare  my  brother,  and  I  will  marry  the  Duke 
of  Weissenfels  !"  The  king  was  too  angry  to  understand  what 
I  was  saying,  and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  fearing  that  I 
should  repeat  these  imprudent  words,  stuffed  her  pocket-hand' 
kerchief  into  my  mouth  just  as  I  was  going  to  do  so.  My  fa- 
ther now  began  to  abuse  me.  He  said  I  was  the  cause  of  all 
the  trouble  that  had  fallen  on  us,  and  that  I  should  pay  for  it 
with  my  head.  He  could  not  then  have  granted  me  a  greater 
favor  than  to  have  carried  out  his  threat.  My  grief  was  so  in- 
tense that  I  would  gladly  have  left  this  world. 

During  this  scene  I  saw  poor  Katt  being  led  between  two 
gendarmes  to  the  king.  He  looked  pale  and  disordered ;  and 
as  he  caught  sight  of  me,  he  took  off  his  hat,  and  I  observed 
his  distressed  and  frightened  expression.  My  brother's  boxes 
and  his  own  were  carried  behind  him.  Immediately  afterwards 
the  king  was  informed  of  Katt's  presence,  and  he  rushed  off 
saying,  "  Now  at  last  I  shall  have  proofs  enough  against  the 
scoundrel  Fritz  to  cost  him  his  head."  The  mistress  of  the  robes 
followed  him,  saying,  "  For  God's  sake,  if  you  wish  to  put  the 
crown  prince  to  death,  at  least  do  not  kill  the  queen  !  I  can 
assure  you  that  she  has  known  absolutely  nothing  of  the  whole 
business,  and  if  you  are  kind  to  her  you  may  succeed  in  obtain- 
ing much  help  from  her."  Madame  von  Konnken  then  con- 
tinued in  another  tone.  "  Hitherto  you  have  laid  great  stress 
on  being  a  just  and  pious  king,  and  God  blessed  you  for  it ; 
but  now  you  wish  to  become  a  tyrant.  Take  heed  that  God's 
wrath  does  not  fall  on  you.  Sacrifice  your  son  to  your  fury, 
and  be  sure  that  God's  vengeance  will  light  upon  you.  Re- 
member Peter  the  Great  and  Philip  the  Second  :  they  died 
without  heirs,  and  their  memory  is  held  in  abhorrence."  The 
king  looked  at  her,  and  said,  "  You  are  very  bold  to  say  such 
things,  but  you  are  a  good  woman,  and  mean  well.  Go  and 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTII.         151 

calm  my  wife."  I  really  admired  this  lady's  courage  in  speak- 
ing at  such  a  moment  in  the  manner  she  did,  because  she  ran 
the  risk  of  being  sent  to  Spandau.  We  were,  on  the  other 
hand,  much  astonished  when  Ramen  in  the  queen's  presence 
insisted  on  having  been  ignorant  of  what  had  occurred.  I  was 
at  last  dragged  out  of  the  queen's  room,  for  I  shook  all  over, 
and  was  incapable  of  walking  a  step.  I  was  brought  into  an 
apartment  into  which  the  king  never  came. 

My  father  had  meanwhile  sent  for  Grumkow,  Mylius,  and 
Gerber  to  come  to  his  room.  Mylius  was  fiscal-general,  and  a 
very  bad  man,  and  Gerber  auditor-general.  As  soon  as  the 
king  entered  the  room  Katt  threw  himself  on  his  knees  before 
him.  My  father  fell  upon  him,  hit  him  with  his  stick,  and 
treated  him  shamefully.  The  inquiry  then  commenced.  Katt 
confessed  at  once  that  he  had  agreed  with  the  crown  prince 
about  his  flight,  but  that  there  had  never  been  any  designs 
against  the  king,  and  that  their  only  intention  had  been  to  es- 
cape into  England  to  be  safe  from  his  anger,  and  to  put  them- 
selves under  English  protection.  On  being  asked  what  had  be- 
come of  my  letters  and  those  of  my  mother,  he  answered  that 
he  had  given  them  back  to  the  queen.  Katt  was  then  asked 
if  I  had  known  of  the  plot:  his  answer  was  "No."  He  was 
then  questioned  as  to  whether  he  had  been  intrusted  with  let- 
ters from  the  crown  prince  to  me,  and  if  I  had  ever  given  him 
any  for  my  brother.  He  replied  that  he  remembered  giving 
me  a  letter  from  the  prince  one  Sunday  morning  as  I  came  out 
of  the  Dom  (Cathedral),  but  that  he  had  no  idea  what  were 
its  contents.  He  had  never  any  letters  intrusted  to  him  by 
me.  Katt  then  confessed  to  having  been  several  times  secret- 
ly to  Potsdam,  where  Lieutenant  Span  had  let  him  into  the 
town  ;  that  Keith  knew  of  the  plan,  and  was  to  have  accom- 
panied them  in  their  flight.  After  the  inquiry  was  over,  my 
brother's  boxes  and  Katt's  were  searched,  but  not  a  single  let- 
ter was  discovered.  Grumkow,  who  had  hoped  to  have  caught 
us  this  time  safely  in  his  net,  was  in  despair  at  this,  and  said 


152        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

to  the  king,  "  These  devils  of  women  are  cleverer  than  we  are, 
and  have  cheated  us." 

The  king  returned  again  to  the  queen  and  said  to  her,  "  I 
have  not  made  a  mistake ;  I  knew  it  must  be  so.  Your  worth- 
less daughter  has  been  mixed  up  in  this  plot.  Katt  has  just 
confessed  that  he  gave  her  letters  from  the  prince ;  I  shall  have 
her  conduct  rigorously  inquired  into !  Command  her  in  my 
name  not  to  leave  her  room.  In  three  days  I  will  have  her  re- 
moved to  a  place  where  she  may  repent  of  her  misdeeds.  Tell 
her  this,  and  that  she  is  to  be  ready  to  start  as  soon  as  her  ex- 
amination is  closed."  The  king  was  in  a  great  rage  as  he  said 
this.  The  queen  swore  that  I  had  never  received  any  letter 
through  Katt,  and  offered  to  go  and  ask  me  about  it. 

I  must  call  to  remembrance  what  I  said  about  that  letter, 
which  I  suppressed  on  account  of  Ramen.  I  now  gave  myself 
up  for  lost,  and  I  was  rather  glad  than  otherwise.  In  order 
not  to  involve  the  queen  I  determined  to  brave  it  out  alone, 
and  I  at  once  answered  Madame  von  Konnken  that  I  was  sur- 
prised that  my  mother  remembered  nothing  about  the  letter, 
as  it  had  been  given  me  in  public,  and  had  contained  only  the 
most  ordinary  expressions  of  friendship.  I  had  burned  it,  but  I 
remembered  every  word,  and  if  the  king  wished  would  write  it 
all  down.  The  queen,  to  whom  I  had  shown  the  letter,  must 
have  forgotten  all  about  it. 

Madame  von  Konnken  brought  my  answer  to  my  father,  who 
then  left  the  room  to  be  present  at  the  close  of  Katt's  examina- 
tion. I  was  able  to  persuade  my  mother  that  she  had  read  the 
letter,  till  at  last  she  really  believed  she  had  done  so.  The 
queen  now  gave  me  the  king's  orders,  crying  bitterly  as  she 
did  so.  She  impressed  on  me  the  importance  of  never  men- 
tioning the  casket.  "  But  if  I  have  to  take  an  oath  about  it, 

O  ' 

what  shall  I  do  then  ?"  I  asked  her,  and  she  answered  that  the 
sore  straits  in  which  we  were  must  condone  what,  in  another 
case,  would  be  a  grave  fault.  I  promised  her  absolute  obedi- 
ence, but  added,  "  I  cannot  do  anything  my  conscience  disap- 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.         153 

proves  of.  The  good  God  will  not  desert  me.  I  will  rather 
sacrifice  all  than  expose  yon  to  danger,  but  I  cannot  take  a 
false  oath."  We  then  took  leave  of  each  other,  my  mother 
holding  me  for  some  time  in  her  arms,  and  at  last  we  parted  in 
deep  sorrow. 

The  whole  town  was  horror-struck  at  the  misery  and  sorrow 
which  had  fallen  on  our  family.  People  spoke  of  me  and  my 
fate  openly  in  the  streets,  for  my  mother's  rooms  were  on  the 
ground-floor,  and  the  windows  stood  open,  so  that  passers-by 
must  have  witnessed  that  terrible  scene.  As  I  was  carried  to 
my  room  that  day  I  had  to  pass  through  quite  a  crowd,  who 
all  were  sobbing  and  crying.  Things  were  very  much  exagger- 
ated, and  in  several  parts  of  the  town  the  rumor  of  my  death 
was  circulated,  and  also  that  of  my  brother,  and  this  only  tended 
to  increase  the  general  feeling  of  hopelessness. 

I  spent  a  very  sad  night,  disturbed  by  dark  and  sinister  fore- 
bodings. Fear  of  death  did  not  trouble  me,  and  I  was  not  dis- 
turbed about  the  journey  ;  but  what  I  dreaded  beyond  descrip- 
tion was  being  separated  from  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  and 
being  given  over  into  strange  hands.  These  sad  reflections  kept 
me  awake  till  the  news  was  brought  me  in  the  morning  that 
the  sentinels  before  my  room  had  been  doubled.  I  had  scarce- 
ly risen  when  Ramen  appeared  and  brought  me  a  message  from 
my  mother  to  the  effect  that  the  king  would  send  the  same  peo- 
ple to  examine  me  as  had  conducted  Katt's  inquiry,  and  that 
she  begged  me  to  be  careful  and  not  to  forget  my  promise.  I 
was  much  put  out  at  receiving  such  a  message  through  so  sus- 
picious a  person,  who  could  at  any  moment,  by  betraying  the 
queen  and  myself  to  the  king,  ruin  us. 

She  then  continued  in  a  hypocritical  tone  to  say  that  my 
mother  "  was  in  great  anxiety  "  about  my  examination,  and 
feared  I  "  should  not  retain  my  firmness."  "  I  cannot  under- 
stand," I  replied,  "  how  the  queen  can  trouble  herself  about 
such  a  trivial  matter.  I  need  not  be  afraid,  as  I  have  had 
nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the  whole  business,  and  if  the 


154        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

king  has  me  examined  I  shall  simply  say  what  I  know  about 
it."  "  Yes,"  she  answered,  "  and  other  terrible  things  are  hap- 
pening. Your  departure  is  decided  on,  and  you  are  to  be  taken 
to  a  convent  called  '  The  Holy  Grave.'  There  you  will  be  kept 
as  a  State  prisoner.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  and  all  your 
own  people  are  to  be  taken  away  from  you,  and  you  will  be 
much  to  be  pitied."  I  replied  that  the  king  was  my  father  and 
my  master,  and  that  he  would  decide  my  fate  as  he  pleased. 
"  I  trust  in  God  and  in  ray  innocence,  and  know  that  Providence 
will  watch  over  me."  Ramen  then  proceeded  to  say,  "  You  are 
only  so  full  of  courage  because  you  believe  these  are  mere 
threats;  but  I  have  seen  the  written  order  for  your  imprison- 
ment, signed  by  the  king  himself.  Besides  which  you  must 
see  by  all  that  has  taken  place  that  the  king  is  in  earnest. 
Poor  Mademoiselle  von  Billow  has  received  commands  to  leave 
the  Court  in  two  days,  and  to  retire  with  her  family  to  Lithu- 
ania. Lieutenant  Span,  who  let  Katt  secretly  into  Potsdam,  is 
cashiered,  and  has  been  sent  to  Spandau.  A  mistress  of  the 
crown  prince  who  lives  at  Potsdam  is  to  be  flogged  by  the 
public  hangman,  and  turned  out  of  the  town.  Diihau  (he  was 
my  brother's  master,  and  devoted  to  him)  is  exiled  to  Memel. 
Jaques  (his  librarian)  is  also  sent  there,  and  your  governess 
would  have  shared  the  same  fate  had  she  not  been,  as  good- 
luck  would  have  it,  not  on  good  terms  with  the  queen  during 
this  last  winter."  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  had  had  a  quar- 
rel with  the  queen  because  she  had  said  that  she  thought  it  had 
been  a  mistake  to  insist  on  Grumkow's  dismissal.  It  would  have 
been  best,  in  her  opinion,  had  my  marriage  first  been  settled, 
and  then  the  dismissal  insisted  on.  This  had  annoyed  my  moth- 
er, and  she  had  in  consequence  treated  my  governess  rather 
unkindly.  I  do  not  understand  how  I  could  listen  to  all  this 
quietly.  God  does  indeed  give  strength  in  the  time  of  our 
sorest  need.  My  great  composure  saved  me,  and  made  this  old 
Mega3ra  believe  that  I  was  either  innocent  or  that  nothing 
would  shake  my  courage.  When  she  had  left  me,  I  felt  I  need 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        155 

no  longer  control  myself.  The  ruin  of  so  many  excellent  peo- 
ple cut  me  to  the  heart.  My  brother's  fate  inspired  me  with 
deadly  fear,  and  the  separation  from  Mademoiselle  von  Sonns- 
feld  filled  me  with  the  bitterest  sorrow. 

The  day  went  by.  I  hourly  expected  my  examination  to 
commence,  and  every  little  sound  made  my  heart  beat  faster. 
But  I  waited  in  vain ;  no  one  appeared,  and  I  began  to  feel 
calmer.  My  face  as  well  as  tny  body  were  so  bruised  by  my 
fall,  and  I  was  so  exhausted,  that  when  the  evening  drew  on  I 
lay  down. 

The  next  morning  Ramen  made  her  appearance.  She  again 
repeated  tny  mother's  injunctions  as  to  courage  and  determina- 
tion, and  then  added  that  my  inquiry  had  not  yet  taken  place 
because  it  had  been  determined  to  confront  me  with  my  broth- 
er and  Katt,  and  that  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  any  dis- 
turbance, the  crown  prince  would  be  brought  to  Berlin  only  in 
the  dusk  of  the  evening.  I  answered  Ramen  in  the  same  way 
at  which,  the  previous  day,  the  queen  had  been  so  vexed.  She 
thought  I  must  be  so  overcome  with  fear  that  I  should  lose  my 
head  and  mention  the  casket,  because  otherwise  she  could  not 
understand  my  determination  to  say  all  I  knew  about  this  sad 
business.  In  the  afternoon  she  sent  me  her  faithful  old  page 
to  implore  me  not  to  betray  anything.  I  confided  to  him  in 
what  a  difficult  position  I  was  placed  by  having  Ramen  sent  to 
me  with  such  messages,  and  begged  him  to  assure  the  queen 
that  she  need  fear  nothing,  and  that  I  should  never  say  any- 
thing which  could  compromise  her.  All  I  ventured  to  beg  of 
her  was  not  to  send  so  often  to  me,  as  it  might  awaken  the 
king's  suspicions,  but  if  she  had  any  message  to  send  it 
through  her  page  and  not  through  Ramen,  who  knew  nothing 
about  the  business  of  the  letters.  I  was  obliged  to  treat  the 
matter  from  this  point  of  view  to  avoid  vexing  my  mother.  I 
knew  she  would  have  been  annoyed  if  she  had  found  out  that 
I  distrusted  Ramen. 

Another  day  passed  in  the  same  manner,  and  I  remained 


156        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

standing  at  the  window  till  one  in  the  morning,  only  to  have 
the  comfort  of  seeing  my  brother  pass  by.  The  thought  of 
seeing  him  made  me  wish  ardently  to  be  confronted  with  him 
at  my  examination.  This  wish  was  not  fulfilled.  My  brother 
was  taken  to  Kiistrin  on  the  5th  of  September,  and  shut  up  in 
the  fortress  of  that  place.  All  his  household  and  all  his  pos- 
sessions were  taken  from  him,  so  that  he  had  nothing  but  the 
shirt  and  clothes  he  wore.  Nobody  waited  on  him,  and  his 
only  means  of  occupation  were  a  Bible  and  Prayer-book. 

His  expenditure  was  limited  to  fourpence  a  day.  The 
room  in  which  he  was  imprisoned  received  all  its  light  from 
one  tiny  aperture.  He  had  a  candle  only  when  his  supper  was 
brought  him  at  seven  o'clock ;  all  the  rest  of  the  time  he  had 
to  sit  in  the  dark.  What  an  awful  fate  for  a  prince  that  was 
already  held  in  such  high  esteem  !  So  much  sorrow  could  only 
make  him  bitter  and  harsh. 

A  short  while  after  my  brother's  arrival  in  this  melancholy 
residence,  the  king  sent  Grumkow,  Mylius,  and  Gerber  to  open 
an  inquiry  on  him.  His  answers  agreed  with  those  of  Katt, 
and  instead  of  treating  Grumkow,  who  was  guiding  his  fate, 
gently,  the  crown  prince  spoke  in  a  most  slighting  manner  to 
him,  saying  many  sharp  things.  They  then  showed  him  Katt's 
boxes,  and  asked  him  if  all  the  things  they  had  contained  were 
still  in  existence,  or  if  any  letters  were  missing.  My  brother, 
thinking  Katt  would  have  burned  the  papers,  answered  "  Yes," 
but  that  the  box  contained  many  snuffboxes  and  other  such  arti- 
cles which  he  knew  nothing  of,  and  which  Katt  probably  had 
put  there.  This  answer  opened  their  eyes,  and  they  discovered 
how  they  had  been  cheated. 

The  evil  was  done,  and  they  knew  that  neither  threats  nor 
violence  would  ever  make  us  divulge  the  contents  of  those 
letters. 

During  the  whole  examination,  and  also  in  the  protocol,  he 
never  received  his  title  of  Royal  Highness.  Seckendorf  ;md 
Grumkow  knew  perfectly  well  that  the  prince's  attempt  at 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MAKGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.         15*7 

flight  was  but  a  youthful  prank,  and  that  in  his  position  as 
crown  prince  he  had  deserved  only  a  reprimand ;  they  there- 
fore induced  the  king  to  treat  him  merely  as  an  officer.  Dur- 
ing the  whole  trial  he  was  always  called  "Colonel  Fritz,"  and 
in  this  capacity  he  really  could  be  tried  as  a  deserter. 

As  soon  as  the  inquiry  was  at  an  end  these  gentlemen  re- 
turned to  Berlin,  and  Katt  was  again  examined.  Several 
times  the  king  wished  him  to  be  put  on  the  rack;  but  this 
inhumanity  was  prevented  by  General  Wartensleben,  a  great 
friend  of  Seckendorf. 

My  fate  continued  unchanged.  Every  evening  I  took  the 
tenderest  leave  of  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  and  my  people, 
because  I  could  not  know  if  I  should  ever  see  them  again. 
My  jewels  and  all  my  other  valuables  I  had  sent  secretly  to 
the  queen.  I  had  not  yet  been  able  to  make  up  my  mind  to 
burn  my  brother's  letters.  They  were  locked  up  in  a  little 
box,  which  I  gave  my  governess  every  evening  to  take  to  my 
youngest  sister,  as  I  knew  they  would  not  be  looked  for  there. 
In  fact,  I  took  every  possible  precaution  against  being  suddenly 
surprised. 

At  last  the  king  left  Berlin,  and  that  same  evening  the 
queen  came  to  see  me.  Seeing  her  made  me  beside  myself 
with  joy.  She  told  me  she  did  not  now  think  I  was  to  be 
taken  to  the  convent,  because  the  king  had  for  several  days 
mentioned  nothing  more  about  it.  She  also  said  that  she 
had  made  him  less  furious  with  my  brother,  as  she  had  thrown 
all  the  blame  on  Keith.  Perhaps  my  readers  will  be  curious 
to  know  his  fate. 

When  my  brother  was  arrested  at  Frankfort  the  Prince  of 
Anhalt  happened  to  be  there.  Since  his  quarrel  and  rupture 
with  Grumkow  he  had  greatly  changed  for  the.  better.  He 
never  mixed  himself  up  in  intrigues,  but  tried  to  help  and  be 
of  service  to  others.  I  had  succeeded  in  effecting  a  reconcilia- 
tion between  him,  my  mother,  and  my  brother.  The  Prince 
of  Anhalt  was  to  accompany  the  king  to  Wesel,  and  I  do  not 


158        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

know  what  reason  made  him  send  his  page  on  before  him. 
The  first  person  this  man  saw  on  reaching  the  town  was  Keith, 
whom  he  knew  well.  He  also  knew  how  much  he  was  in  the 
crown  prince's  good  graces.  "  Oh,  how  glad  I  am  to  see  you 
here !"  he  exclaimed ;  "  I  thought  you  were  already  under  lock 
and  key."  "  What  do  you  mean  ?"  said  Keith,  who  could  not 
understand  being  addressed  like  this.  "  All  right,"  replied  the 
other;  "don't  you  know  that  the  crown  prince  has  been  ar- 
rested ?" 

Keith  remained  apparently  unmoved  during  this  speech. 
He  however  broke  off  the  conversation  as  soon  as  he  could, 
mounted  a  horse,  and  left  the  town  with  all  possible  speed. 
He  reached  the  Hague  safely,  but  only  three  hours  before 
Colonel  Dumoulin,  who  was  sent  by  the  king  to  pursue  him. 
As  soon  as  Keith  arrived  he  sought  the  protection  of  the 
English  envoy,  Lord  Chesterfield,  who  saw  him  safely  on 
board  the  packet,  despite  Diimoulin's  presence,  and  in  this 
manner  Keith  reached  England  in  safety.  As  the  king  now 
found  it  impossible  to  punish  him,  he  gratified  his  desire  for 
revenge  by  having  Keith's  effigy  hung  in  Wesel,  and  puu- 
ished  his  brother  for  having  procured  horses  for  the  crown 
prince  without  his  leave  by  degrading  him  to  the  rank  of 
sergeant. 

In  order  not  to  interrupt  my  account  of  these  terrible  events, 
I  left  one  circumstance  unmentioned,  which  had  a  great  in- 
fluence on  my  future.  Before  the  king  left  Berlin  he  told  the 
queen  of  his  intention  of  marrying  my  fourth  sister  to  the 
hereditary  Prince  of  Baireuth,  and  the  betrothal  was  publicly 
announced.  The  queen  was  much  pleased  at  this,  because  she 
had  feared  that  having  once  proposed  this  prince  to  the  king 
for  me,  the  question  of  this  marriage  would  be  brought  forward 
again.  Now  that  my  sister  was  thought  of,  her  fears  were  laid 
to  rest. 

During  the  short  time  my  mother  spent  in  Berlin  she.  came 
daily  to  see  me.  The  day  before  her  departure,  she  whispered 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAEGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        159 

to  me  that  she  had  been  told  of  Prince  Henry's*  death.  He 
was  said  to  have  died  at  Paris  of  fever.  I  said  I  was  very 
sorry,  as  he  had  been  a  most  deserving  prince.  "  And  I,  on 
the  other  hand,  am  glad,"  she  said,  "  as  I  always  feared  he 
wished  to  marry  you  !"  "  Now,  however,  that  he  has  been 
engaged  to  my  sister,"  I  replied,  "there  can  be  no  idea  of 
that."  The  queen  then  took  leave  of  me.  She  cried  much 
as  she  did  so,  and  told  my  sisters  and  her  ladies  to  come  and 
see  me  from  time  to  time.  She  also  told  me  to  send  my  let- 
ters to  her  through  her  page's  wife.  My  mother  left  Berlin 
on  the  15th  of  September. 

One  day,  as  I  was  engaged  in  my  usual  occupations,  my  maid 
came  into  my  room  in  a  very  agitated  state.  This  maid  is  the 
same  I  have  mentioned  before — a  most  devoted,  honest  soul. 
"  What  is  the  matter  ?"  I  said,  on  seeing  her  disturbed  counte- 
nance. "  Am  I  to  leave  ?"  "  No,  your  Royal  Highness,"  she 
answered,  "  but  I  am  in  a  great  difficulty.  A  sergeant  of  the 
gendarmerie  has-  this  morning  brought  my  husband  a  packet 
for  you.  I  know  that  my  husband  is  already  looked  on  with 
suspicion,  because  he  is  devoted  to  the  crown  prince.  I  do  not, 
therefore,  know  if  he  ought  to  have  received  the  packet — the 
more  so  as  I  am  not  sure  whether  we  can  trust  this  sergeant. 
But  I  am  ready  to  do  whatever  you  desire,  even  at  the  risk  of 
my  life."  "But  do  you  not  know  what  the  packet  contains?" 
I  inquired,-"  and  whether  it  is  of  importance?" 

"  The  sergeant  told  my  husband  that  it  contained  a  portrait," 
my  maid  replied.  Then  I  at  once  perceived  that  it  was  the 
likeness  my  brother  had  given  Katt  to  take  charge  of  for  him. 
I  felt  how  serious  the  consequences  would  be  if  the  picture  fell 
into  my  father's  hands,  as  he  would  at  once  say  that  Katt  had 
been  my  lover  and  had  ill-used  me.  I  therefore  entreated  my 
maid  to  bring  me  the  packet  without  delay,  which  she  accord- 
ingly did  next  day,  and  the  whole  circumstance  was  kept  secret. 

*  Hereditary  Prince  of  Baireuth. 


160        MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGKAVINE    OF    BAIKEUTH. 

Two  days  after  this  my  maid  bad  another  fright.  An  un- 
known person  brought  her  a  letter  which  enclosed  one  from  my 
brother  to  me.  She  brought  it  to  me  at  once.  I  could  not  re- 
ceive it  without  feelings  of  the  deepest  emotion.  The  letter 
was  written  in  pencil,  and  its  contents  read  as  follows  :  (I  have 
copied  every  word  from  the  original,  which  I  keep  as  a  most 
precious  relic.) 

"  DEAR  BELOVED  SISTER, — ''  I  am  to  be  declared  an  arch- 
heretic  by  the  court-martial  before  which  I  am  shortly  to  ap- 
pear. It  will  not  require  any  great  difficulty  to  do  this.  You 
can,  therefore,  imagine  what  a  creature  they  are  going  to  make 
me  out.  I  do  not  in  the  least  care  about  the  ban  which  they 
will  pronounce  over  me,  if  only  my  dear  sister  will  not  bear  me 
false  witness.  How  thankful  I  am  that  neither  bolts  nor  bars 
can  prevent  my  assuring  you  of  my  sincere  friendship !  Yes, 
dearest  sister,  there  are  still  people  in  this  almost  depraved  cen- 
tury who  are  devoted  enough  to  procure  me  the  means  of  ex- 
pressing my  devotion  to  yon.  If  I  only  know  that  you  are 
happy,  dear  sister,  then  my  prison  will  become  an  abode  of  con- 
tentment and  satisfaction.  '  Chi  ha  tempo,  ha  vita,1  let  this 
comfort  us.  I  wish,  with  all  my  heart,  that  we  needed  no  in- 
terpreter to  go  to  and  fro  between  us.  May  those  happy  hours 
return  once  more,  during  which  your  Principe  and  my  Princi- 
pcssa  (we  called  my  guitar  and  his  flute  by  these  names)  brought 
forth  such  sweet  harmonies.  To  speak  plainly,  may  I  soon 
again  be  able  to  tell  you,  by  word  of  mouth,  that  nothing  in 
this  world  can  ever  lessen  my  affection  for  you.  Good-by. 

"THE  PRISONER." 

This  letter  touched  me  deeply,  and  I  cried  over  it. 

"  How  deeply  I  pity  my  poor  brother !"  I  said  to  Mademoiselle 
von  Sonnsfeld ;  "  he  is  still  able  to  joke  in  the  midst  of  his 
sore  trouble.  Goodness  only  knows  what  misery  is  in  store  for 
him,  I  must  answer  him.  You  will  not  forbid  my  having 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        161 

this  comfort?  The  same  person  who  brought  me  his  letter 
so  safely  will  find  means  of  letting  my  answer  reach  him." 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  did  not  wish  at  once  to  damp 
my  joy,  but  by  degrees  she  made  me  understand  the  great  dan- 
ger I  exposed  myself  to  if  I  carried  out  my  intention  of  writing. 

The  court-martial  assembled  on  the  1st  of  November.  As 
my  governess  was  aware  of  the  agitated  state  I  was  in,  she  hid 
this  news  from  me,  the  more  so  as  she  knew  that  my  brother's 
fate  was  to  be  decided  by  it. 

Although  I  did  not  at  that  time  know  of  what  took  place,  I 
will  here  continue  my  account  of  these  tragic  events,  so  as  not 
to  break  the  thread  of  my  narrative. 

The  court-martial  was  held  at  Potsdam.  It  was  composed 
of  two  major-generals,  two  colonels,  two  lieutenant-colonels,  two 
majors,  two  captains,  and  two  lieutenants.  The  whole  army 
were  obliged  to  draw  lots  as  to  who  was  to  constitute  it,  as 
every  one  declined  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it. 

The  lots  fell  on  Major-generals  Donhoff  and  Linger,  and  Colo- 
nels Derchovv  and  Panewitz.  I  do  not  remember  the  names 
of  the  colonels  and  captains,  but  the  lieutenants  were  Einsiedel 
and  one  other  from  the  king's  regiment.  They  had  all  to  take 
their  oath  on  the  Bible.  Donhoff  and  Linger  voted  for  par- 
don being  granted  ;  but  Einsiedel,  Derchow,  and  the  others,  all 
Grumkow's  creatures,  and  favorites  of  the  king,  condemned  my 
brother  and  Katt  to  the  scaffold.  A  monstrous  and  unheard- 
of  sentence  in  a  civilized  land!  Seckendorf  now  stepped  in  as 
mediator,  and  begged  for  mercy  for  both  criminals,  particularly 
my  brother.  It  was  granted  him  only  with  much  trouble,  for 
:ny  father's  rage  had  increased.  For  Katt  he  could  obtain 
nothing — not  even  a  reprieve.  His  sentence  was  therefore  pro- 
nounced, lie  heard  it  without  moving  a  muscle,  and  with  the 
most  heroic  firmness.  lie  merely  answered,  "I  submit  to  the 
king's  will,  and  to  that  of  Providence.  I  can  die  without  fear, 
for  I  have  nothing  to  reproach  myself  with,  and  I  suffer  for  a 
good  cause."  He  then  prepared  himself  for  the  awful  trial 
11 


162        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH. 

before  him.  Next  day  he  was  told  that  the  king  wished  his 
execution  to  take  place  away  from  Berlin.  This  rather  startled 
him,  but  he  soon  regained  his  composure. 

As  soon  as  he  was  left  alone  he  called  the  officer  of  the 
guard,  and  gave  him  the  snuffbox  containing  the  portraits  of 
my  brother  and  me,  saying,  "Keep  this,  and  think  sometimes 
of  me.  Do  not,  however,  show  the  box  to  any  one,  as  it  might 
do  harm  to  the  high  personages  who  are  represented  on  it." 
Katt  then  wrote  three  letters — one  to  his  grandfather,  one  to  his 
father,  and  one  to  his  brother-in-law.  When  the  clergyman 
came  to  him,  he  said,  "  I  have  greatly  sinned  before  God.  My 
great  ambition  was  the  cause  of  many  faults,  of  which  I  repent 
sincerely.  The  crown  prince's  favor  made  me  blind  to  all  else. 
I  now  know  how  vain  are  all  earthly  things.  I  repent  truly  of 
all  my  sins,  and  pray  death  to  lead  me  to  everlasting  peace." 
The  day  was  spent  in  conversing  in  this  manner.  Towards 
evening  Major  Schenk  came  with  tears  in  his  eyes  and  told 
Katt  that  everything  was  ready  for  his  departure,  adding,  "  The 
king  has  commanded  me  to  be  present  at  your  execution,  and 
to  accompany  you  to  the  place  where  it  is  to  be  carried  out.  I 
have  twice  over  begged  to  be  excused  from  this  mission,  but 
the  king  insisted,  so  I  could  but  obey.  Would  to  God  that  his 
heart  had  been  softened,  and  that  I  might  have  been  the  bearer 
of  your  pardon !" 

"You  are  very  kind,"  Katt  replied,  "  but  I  do  not  wish  to 
escape  from  my  fate.  I  give  my  life  for  a  master  whom  I  love 
most  dearly,  and  by  doing  so  give  him  the  greatest  proof  of 
my  devotion.  Ilappiness  without  end  awaits  me."  With  these 
words  he  stepped  cheerfully  and  smilingly  into  the  carriage. 

Before  starting  he  took  leave  of  many  officers  and  soldiers 
of  the  gendarmerie  who  had  assembled  to  witness  his  departure. 
It  was  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  when  he  reached  Kiistrin. 
The  scaffold  had  been  erected  in  front  of  my  brother's  win- 
dows, from  which  the  bars  had  been  removed.  It  was  on  a 
level  with  the  window,  and  only  a  few  paces  from  it. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTII.         1G3 

As  soon  as  they  had  reached  the  interior  of  the  fortress 
Schenk  said  to  Katt,  "  Keep  up  your  courage,  for  a  fearful  trial 
is  before  you." 

"  Say  rather  that  it  is  the  greatest  comfort  that  could  have 
been  given  me,"  he  replied. 

My  unfortunate  brother  had,  the  day  before,  witnessed  all 
these  preparations  without  knowing  their  purpose.  He  ex- 
pected his  own  death-warrant.  Early  in  the  morning  the 
governor  of  the  fortress,  General  Lepel,  and  the  president,  Mu- 
nichow,  entered  my  brother's  prison  and  endeavored  to  pre- 
pare him  as  best  they  could  for  the  terrible  news  they  had  to 
communicate  to  him.  They  brought  him  a  plain  brown  suit  of 
clothes,  the  counterpart  to  that  which  Katt  wore  (rny  brother 
would  not  take  it  off  afterwards,  till  it  had  to  be  literally  torn 
off  him).  As  soon  as  the  crown  prince  heard  what  was  in 
store  for  him  he  was  seized  with  frantic  despair,  which  grew 
only  greater  and  greater  as  he  was  forced  to  approach  the  win- 
dow. He  tried  to  throw  himself  out  of  it.  Then  he  ex- 
claimed, "  For  God's  sake  postpone  the  execution  !  I  will  write 
to  the  king  that  I  will  solemnly  renounce  the  crown  if  only  I 
can  save  Katt's  life." 

As  my  brother  saw  him  mount  the  scaffold  he  called  out  to 
him,  "I  am  miserable,  dear  Katt.  I  am  the  cause  of  your  mis- 
fortune ;  oh,  that  I  were  in  your  place !"  Katt,  then  kneeling 
down,  replied,  "  Had  I  a  thousand  lives,  my  beloved  prince,  I 
would  lay  them  all  down  for  you."  One  of  the  attendants 
then  stepped  forward  to  blindfold  him,  but  he  waved  him 
back.  He  then  said,  in  a  firm  voice,  "  My  God,  into  Thy  hands 
I  commend  ray  spirit."  He  had  scarcely  uttered  these  words 
when  his  head  fell.  In  falling  he  had  still  stretched  out  his 
hand  towards  the  window  at  which  my  brother  was  standing. 
The  poor  prince  had  fainted  away.  He  was  laid  on  his  bed, 
where  he  remained  insensible  for  several  hours.  Fever  then 
attacked  him,  and  his  condition  was  not  to  be  described.  Katt's 
body  had  been  left  lying  in  such  a  position  that  my  brother 


164        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

could  not  escape  seeing  it.  As  no  one  knew  what  to  do  with 
the  crown  prince,  and  the  doctors  feared  for  his  life,  they  sent 
for  a  clergyman.  But  the  cruel  emotions  my  brother  had  been 
through  were  not  so  easily  got  over,  and  he  became  calmer 
only  when  quite  exhausted.  Great  bodily  weakness,  accom- 
panied by  floods  of  tears,  at  last  succeeded  the  violent  fits  of 
despair,  and  he  sank  into  melancholy,  which  lasted  some  time. 
Even  now  we  never  dare  mention  this  terrible  scene  to  him. 
Katt's  body  remained  lying  on  the  scaffold  till  sundown.  It 
was  then  buried  in  a  corner  of  the  fortress  near  the  bastions. 
I  am  here  going  to  insert  a  letter  Katt  wrote  to  his  grandfa- 
ther, and  also  a  verse  which  was  found  written  on  the  win- 
dow of  his  prison. 

"  SlR,  AND    HONORED    GRANDFATHER, 1    Cannot    CXprCSS    to 

you  with  what  pain  and  anxiety  I  write  these  lines.  I,  who 
have  been  the  sole  object  of  your  constant  solicitude ;  I,  to 
whom  you  looked  for  the  advancement  of  your  family ;  I, 
whom  you  educated  in  principles  that  should  have  made  me  fit 
to  serve  God  and  my  neighbors ;  I,  who  never  parted  from  you 
without  having  been  honored  by  some  of  your  kind  advice ;  I, 
who  was  the  joy,  pride,  and  support  of  your  old  age  ;  I,  miser- 
able creature,  am  the  cause  of  all  your  grief  and  pain.  Instead 
of  sending  you  good  news,  I  must  tell  you  of  my  being  sen- 
tenced to  death — a  sentence  which  has  just  been  communicated 
to  me.  Do  not  take  my  sad  fate  too  much  to  heart.  We 
must  bow  to  the  will  of  Providence.  If  we  are  tried  by  re- 
verses, the  strength  will  be  given  us  to  endure  them.  Nothing 
is  impossible  to  God :  He  can  help  when  He  sees  fit.  I  put  all 
my  trust  in  the  Almighty,  that  He  may  yet  soften  the  king's 
heart,  and  incline  him  to  show  me  mercy.  The  king  was  at  all 
times  gracious  towards  me.  If  God  wills  it  otherwise,  then  I 
shall  not  cease  to  praise  Him,  for  He  orders  all  for  our  best.  I 
shall  patiently  submit  to  any  alternative  your  influence  and 
other  people's  may  obtain  from  the  king.  Meanwhile  I  entreat 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGKAVINB    OF   BAIREUTH.         165 

your  forgiveness  for  all  my  misdeeds,  and  hope  that  God,  who 
forgives  the  greatest  of  sinners,  will  also  have  mercy  on  me. 
Will  you  not  also  follow  His  example,  and  grant  your  pardon 
to  him  who  signs  himself,  sir,  and  much  esteemed  grandfather, 
"  Your  devoted  and  respectful  grandson, 

KATT." 
"  2d  November,  1730." 

The  following  are  the  lines  he  wrote  on  his  -window.  There 
is  more  cleverness  in  them  than  poetry : 

"  Wouldst  thou  the  fruit  of  a  clear  conscience  reap  ? 
Take  time,  and  patience  keep. 
Wouldst  of  the  writer  ask  ?     Then  Katt  replies, 
'  Cheerful  and  hopeful  in  his  cell  he  lies. '" 

Underneath  them  was  written :  "  To  those  who  wish  to  read 
these  lines  be  it  known  that  he  who  wrote  them  was  imprisoned 
on  the  16th  of  August,  1730,  by  order  of  the  king.  He  still 
hopes  to  be  liberated,  though  the  manner  in  which  he  is 
watched  makes  him  fear  something  terrible." 

But  now  I  must  return  to  my  own  personal  narrative.  On 
the  5th  of  November,  a  Sunday  morning,  the  day  before  Katt's 
execution,  just  as  I  was  going  to  say  my  prayers,  Eversmann 
was  announced.  He  was  sent  by  the  king  to  speak  with  me. 
I  was  much  alarmed,  and  though  I  was  still  in  bed  I  ordered 
him  to  be  shown  into  my  room.  He  began  at  once:  "The 
king  desires  you  to  accept  the  offer  of  marriage  made  by  the 
Duke  of  Weissenfels  or  that  of  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt.  I 
am  to  say  that  the  king  has  dealt  most  leniently  with  you,  for 
he  is  quite  well  aware  that  you  were  mixed  up  in  the  intrigues 
of  the  crown  prince  and  Katt:  they  have  both  confessed  as 
much."  [This  was  not  true.]  "  He  is  greatly  incensed  against 
the  prince,  and  swore  yesterday  that  he  would  have  your  broth- 
er's head  laid  at  your  feet.  Your  Royal  Highness  had  better 
reflect  well  on  the  answer  you  give  me.  The  king  will  take 
violent  measures  if  you  do  not  give  way  to  him,  and  I  may  not 


166        MEMOIRS    OP   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

say  all  that  I  know  on  this  subject."  I  answered  him,  "The 
king  is  my  lord  and  master,  and  can  do  with  me  what  he 
pleases ;  but  he  cannot  convict  me  of  having  been  a  party  to 
my  brother's  plan.  If  he  had  asked  me  about  it,  I  would  have 
proved  my  innocence  to  him.  As  regards  the  subject  of  my 
marriage,  I  beg  my  father  to  settle  that  point  with  the  queen. 
As  soon  as  they  are  of  one  mind  on  that  subject,  I  shall  at  once 
submit,  however  great  my  disinclination  may  be." 

"The  queen  has  nothing  whatever. to  do  with  it,"  Eversmann 
began  again.  "The  king  will  on  no  account  allow  her  to  mix 
herself  up  in  it."  "But  the  king  cannot  prevent  her  being 
my  mother,"  I  replied.  "  Why  is  he  so  determined  to  marry 
me  and  make  me  miserable?  Death  seems  far  sweeter  to  me 
than  the  daily  terror  I  have  to  endure,  and  the  fear  of  my  fa- 
ther or  mother's  curse  which  threatens  me." 

"  Well,  then,  please  yourself,"  was  Eversmann's  answer. 
"  You  can  prepare  to  die  if  you  do  not  give  in.  The  prince's 
trial  and  Katt's  will  be  postponed,  so  that  you  may  be  included 
in  it.  A  victim  must  be  sacrificed  to  the  king's  fury,  and  it 
may  as  well  be  you."  "  I  am  quite  prepared  for  my  fate,"  I 
answered  him  ;  "  the  world  is  quite  indifferent  to  me.  I  have 
had  so  many  troubles  that  it  is  easy  to  me  to  forego  this 
world's  vanities.  I  shall  look  forward  to  my  death  with  more 
satisfaction  than  fear."  He  then  said,  "But  what  is  to  be- 
come of  the  crown  prince?"  "I  do  not  know,"  was  my  reply; 
"  and  if  I  am  to  die,  then  I  shall  trouble  about  nothing  more." 
With  this  remark  the  sad  conversation  came  to  an  end.  As 
Eversmann  left  the  room  he  said  the  king  would  send  other 
people  to  speak  with  me,  but  that  he  forbade  me  to  speak  with 
the  queen  about  what  was  going  on. 

I  was  so  upset  by  this  interview  that  my  bed  shook  under 
me.  They  hid  from  me  the  fact  of  the  court-martial  having 
been  summoned,  and  this  increased  my  alarm.  I  feared  my 
refusal  had  done  harm  to  my  brother,  but  resolved  to  wait  and 
see  what  these  other  people  would  say  whom  my  fatlicr  was 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    IUIREUTH.         167 

going  to  send  to  me  before  coming  to  a  final  decision.  I  con- 
sidered Eversmann  so  very  ranch  beneath  my  contempt  that  I 
would  not  condescend  to  give  him  my  answer.  I  told  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld  at  once  of  my  conversation,  and  we  both 
agreed  that  it  was  necessary  to  let  the  queen  know  of  it  and 
to  obtain  her  instructions.  It  was  not  safe  to  send  our  letters 
in  the  usual  way,  and  I  was  not  allowed  to  send  any  one  to 
her.  We  had,  therefore,  to  try  and  discover  some  other  means. 
At  last  we  thought  of  the  following  stratagem :  The  queen 
had  appointed  a  Mademoiselle  von  Konnken,  a  daughter  of  her 
mistress  of  the  robes,  to  be  Mademoiselle  von  Billow's  suc- 
cessor. She  was  a  charming  girl,  full  of  character.  I  asked 
her  to  come  secretly  to  me.  As  they  had  forgotten  to  put  a 
sentinel  before  one  of  my  doors,  which  led  to  my  sisters'  rooms, 
the  queen's  ladies  were  able  to  get  at  me  by  this  way.  As 
soon  as  Mademoiselle  von  Konnken  reached  my  room  I  told 
her  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  and  made  her  understand 
how  important  it  was  that  the  queen  should  be  informed  of 
them.  "  I  have  thought  of  a  means  of  doing  so,"  I  said  to 
her.  "  You  send  your  mother  a  cheese  :  we  will  cut  it  in  half, 
put  the  letter  between  the  pieces,  and  then  stick  them  together 
again,  so  that  nobody  will  observe  anything.  Then,  when  the 
box  is  opened  containing  the  cheese,  nothing  can  be  discovered, 
and  we  run  no  risk."  It  cost  me  no  end  of  trouble  and  per- 
suasion to  get  Mademoiselle  von  Konnken  to  agree  to  this,  for 
the  daily  arrests  and  executions  were  spreading  universal  ter- 
ror. At  last  I  succeeded,  and  sent  my  letter  in  the  manner 
suggested. 

The  next  day,  the  6th  of  November,  the  day  of  Katt's  exe- 
cution, Eversmann  called  upon  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  by 
the  king's  desire,  and  brought  her  the  following  message :  My 
father  desired  her  to  persuade  me  to  accept  the  Duke  of  Weis- 
senfels.  If  she  did  not  obey  this  command  she  was  to  be  sent 
to  Spandau,  or  even  something  worse  might  happen  to  her. 
My  governess  at  once  replied,  "  I  am  ready  to  leave  the  Court 


168        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

whenever  the  king  wishes  it,  but  I  shall  not  mix  myself  up  in 
this  marriage.  The  queen  intrusted  me  with  the  education  of 
her  daughter,  but  not  with  putting  ideas  of  marriage  into  her 
head.  Tell  the  king  that  he  gave  me  this  post  against  my  will, 
as  I  had  in  vain  repeatedly  told  him  that  I  did  not  feel  equal 
to  the  task  of  bringing  up  a  young  princess.  Dearly  as  I  love 
my  princess,  I  should  not  hesitate  for  a  moment  to  resign  my 
position  rather  than  meddle  with  things  which  are  beyond  my 
province."  "Have  you  forgotten  what  has  taken  place  to- 
day ?"  Eversmann  answered ;  "  I  am  told  that  the  king  is  in  a 
greater  state  of  anger  than  ever :  take  care  that  he  does  not 
carry  out  the  threats  he  has  been  using  against  you  and  the 
princess."  "  Beware  of  mentioning  anything  of  all  this  to  the 
princess,"  interrupted  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld.  "  I  have 
kept  it  all  from  her,  because  her  health  has  suffered  so  much 
that  the  least  additional  emotion  will  quite  prostrate  her.  As 
regards  myself,  I  shall  calmly  await  what  Providence  may  de- 
cide for  me."  My  governess  repeated  to  me  the  whole  con- 
versation, only  suppressing  all  mention  of  Katt's  execution.  I 
was  so  ill  that  I  had  to  keep  my  bed.  "  You  have  done  quite 
right,"  I  said  to  her,  "  and  I  now  know  what  I  must  do." 

Madame  von  Rocoule  visited  me  next  day.  Although  more 
than  seventy  years  of  age,  she  still  had  the  superintendence  of 
my  younger  sisters.  She  was  such  a  kind,  upright  old  lady ! 
Her  daughter  was  with  my  elder  sister,  and  I  do  not  know 
why,  but  this  girl  hated  me.  I  had  never  done  her  any  harm 
that  I  knew  of.  She  ruled  her  old  mother,  and  therefore — 
much  as  I  liked  Madame  von  Rocoule — I  could  not  trust  her. 
She  came  to  bring  me  a  box  of  cheese  from  my  mother. 
"  Here,  my  child,  the  queen  sends  you  some  cheeses,"  she  be- 
gan ;  "  and  in  one  of  them  there  is  a  letter."  My  blood  began 
to  boil  at  the  thought  of  my  mother's  imprudence,  but  I  saw 
that  this  was  not  the  time  to  show  mistrust.  I  therefore  took 
out  the  letter  and  read  as  follows:  "You  are  as  frightened  as 
a  hare.  Remember  that  my  curse  will  fall  on  you  if  you  sub- 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIKEUTH.         1G9 

mit  to  what  is  demanded  of  you.  To  gain  time  you  must 
pretend  that  you  are  very  ill."  I  could  not  do  otherwise  than 
show  the  note  to  Madame  von  Rocoule,  but  begged  her  not  to 
mention  it  to  any  one. 

As  soon  as  she  left  me  I  consulted  with  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld  as  to  what  I  was  to  do.  We  decided  at  last  to  obey 
the  queen.  My  maid,  on  whose  unalterable  devotion  I  could 
depend,  and  I  waited  till  dinner  was  over  to  assume  the  parts 
we  were  going  to  act.  Certainly  it  was  prison  fare.  We 
could  scarcely  appease  our  hunger.  The  food  consisted  of 
bones  with  no  meat,  and  these  cooked  in  salt  and  water.  As 
soon  as  I  sat  down  I  complained  of  being  sick,  and  then  slowly 
fell  from  my  chair.  All  my  servants  ran  for  help ;  my  sisters' 
and  my  mother's  ladies  surrounded  rne.  I  was  put  to  bed,  and 
remained  there  motionless  for  two  hours.  All  thought  I  was 
dead,  and  cried  and  wrung  their  hands.  Goodness  knows  how 
difficult  I  found  it  to  keep  up  the  imposture,  but  necessity 
forced  me  to  go  through  with  it.  After  a  while  I  pretended 
to  return  slowly  to  consciousness,  but  all  that  day  I  never  left 
my  bed. 

Next  day  Eversmann  again  appeared.  He  had  heard  of  my 
illness  at  Wusterhausen,  and  came  hurrying  to  see  if  it  were 
true  or  not.  They  had  given  me  hot  tin  balls  to  hold  in  my 
hands,  so  that  when  he  approached  me  I  acted  as  if -I  were 
unable  to  speak,  saying  only  that  I  had  violent  fever,  at  the 
same  time  giving  him  one  of  my  hands.  He  was  much  taken 
aback,  and  said,  "  She  is  very  hot.  How  is  it  that  no  doctor 
has  been  summoned?"-  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  replied 
that  she  did  not  know  if  we  had  the  king's  permission  to  send 
for  one,  and  that  she  had  therefore  written  to  the  queen  about 
me.  Eversmann  then  left  me.  He  took  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld  on  one  side,  and  said,  "  I  had  forbidden  you  in  the 
king's  name  to  say  anything  to  the  queen  about  what  con- 
cerned the  princess.  Yet  you  have  done  so.  You  treated  me 
yesterday  like  a  child,  but  that  is  all  the  same  to  me.  If  I  tell 


170      MEMOIRS  OF  THE  MARGRAVINE  OF  BAIREUTH. 

the  king  of  it,  it  will  simply  depend  on  me  alone  whether  you 
are  sent  to  Spandau ;  and  if  the  qneen  speaks  with  him  about 
the  matter,  then  you  and  your  princess  can  pack  up  to  be 
ready  to  be  sent  there."  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  did  not 
know  what  answer  to  make  to  this  speech,  but  he  left  her  with- 
out waiting  for  one.  She  came  to  me  in  great  alarm  and  told 
me  of  it.  My  terror  was  not  less  than  hers,  and  we  spent  the 
whole  day  in  fear  and  trembling.  She  was  fearing  for  me,  and 
1  for  her.  Had  I  known  of  Katt's  fate,  my  state  of  distress 
would  have  been  still  greater. 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  kept  it  from  me,  for  she  knew 
my  kind  heart,  and  feared  that  so  terrible  an  example  of  the 
king's  anger  would  make  me  lose  courage.  She  was  right,  too ; 
for  I  should  have  been  wretched  for  life  had  my  obstinacy  been 
the  cause  of  her  ruin.  Great  heavens,  what  I  suffered  during 
these  days !  My  brother  was  ever  present  in  my  thoughts,  and 
I  saw  myself  hourly  exposed  to  be  treated  in  the  same  way  as 
he  was.  The  sorrow  I  caused  to  all  who  were  devoted  to  me 
made  me  determine  to  submit  to  each  and  every  demand  on 
condition  that  the  king  forgave  my  brother.  I  could  not  count 
on  the  queen.  Her  constant  imprudence,  and  the  little  respect 
in  which  she  was  held  by  the  king,  deprived  me  of  all  hope  of 
aid  from  her.  My  father  had  probabjy  been  told  that  the 
queen's  ladies  visited  me ;  for  this  comfort  was  now  denied  me, 
and  I  saw  no  one  beyond  my  sisters,  who  were  still  quite  chil- 
dren. I  was  also  obliged  to  stay  in  bed  to  keep  up  the  farce 
of  my  illness,  and  was  not  able  even  to  read  in  peace.  That 
devil  Eversmann  disturbed  me  every  moment  to  torment  me 
about  the  Duke  of  Weissenfcls. 

One  piece  of  good  news  reached  us  at  this  time,  and  brought 
me  some  measure  of  comfort.  I  mentioned  that  grief  at  Katt's 
death  had  made  my  brother  dangerously  ill.  His  good  consti- 
tution alone  saved  his  life.  Grumkow,  who  had  been  the  cause 
of  all  the  crown  prince's  misfortunes,  now  desired  to  have  an 
equal  share  in  his  being  set  at  liberty.  He  induced  the  king 


MEMOIRS  OP  THE  MARGRAVINE  OF  BAIREUTH.      171 

to  let  him  go  to  Kiistrin.  Instead  of  approaching  the  prince 
with  insolence,  as  he  had  on  the  former  occasion,  Grumkow 
this  time  addressed  him  with  great  respect.  He  commiserated 
his  sad  fate,  and  told  him  that  he  and  Seckendorf  had  done 
all  in  their  power  to  save  Katt.  Grumkow  finally  advised  my 
brother  to  write  to  the  king  in  a  most  submissive  tone,  promis- 
ing him  if  he  did  so  to  procure  him  his  father's  pardon.  It 
was  only  after  much  persuasion  that  he  succeeded  in  inducing 
my  brother  to  take  this  step.  He  succeeded  at  last,  after  having 
told  him  how  much  my  mother  was  suffering  for  his  sake,  and 
the  crown  prince  agreed  to  write  to  the  king.  My  brother 
knew  nothing  of  all  that  had  happened  to  me,  and  only  learned 
it  afterwards  from  myself.  Grumkow  kept  his  word.  On  the 
12th  of  November  the  crown  prince  was  allowed  to  leave  the 
fortress,  but  not  to  quit  Kiistrin,  which  he  had  still  to  regard  as 
a  prison.  The  king  let  him  have  three  civilians  to  keep  him 
company — Messieurs  Wallen,  Rovedel,  and  Natzmer.  His  ex- 
penditure was  limited  to  the  smallest  possible  sum.  He  was  al- 
lowed no  amusements,  nor  was  he  permitted  to  read  or  write,  or 
to  speak  French.  It  was  impossible  to  describe  the  joy  pervading 
all  classes  at  the  news  of  the  prince  having  been  set  at  liberty. 
In  spite  of  the  king's  peremptory  orders  that  my  brother  should 
be  treated  in  the  most  rigorous  manner  during  his  imprison- 
ment, his  dinner-table  was  well  cared  for.  All  Berlin  sent  him 
provisions,  and  even  the  greatest  delicacies.  Even  the  poor  ex- 
iled French  collected  linen  to  send  my  brother.  I  was  equally 
kindly  cared  for,  and  had  food  sent  me  in  the  same  way  as  the 
crown  prince.  If  I  bad  not  had  this  I  think  I  should  have 
nearly  died  of  hunger  and  want.  My  gratitude  towards  this 
nation  will  be  unceasing,  and  I  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to 
requite  it  as  I  should  like. 

Letters  which  were  at  this  time  received  from  Anspach  con- 
tradicted the  rumor  of  the  death  of  Prince  Henry  of  Baireuth. 
An  attack  of  fever,  from  which  he  had  suffered  for  six  days  in 
1'arisj  must  have  given  rise  to  the  report. 


172        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRA.VINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

About  the  22d  the  queen  returned  to  Berlin.  She  found  me 
still  in  bed,  pretending  to  be  ill,  and  being  so  in  downright  re- 
ality. All  niy  sorrows  and  anxieties,  combined  with  the  seden- 
tary life  I  had  been  compelled  to  lead,  had  so  seriously  affected 
my  health  that  it  never  entirely  recovered  from  it.  My  second 
sister,  who  has  since  married  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  came  at 
once  to  see  me.  I  loved  her  dearly.  She  was  very  clever  and 
lively  in  later  years.  She  requited  me  ill  for  the  love  I  bore 
her.  As  soon  as  she  entered  my  room  she  exclaimed,  "  Have 
you  not  pitied  our  brother  and  grieved  for  Katt?"  I  asked 
her  why,  and  she  then  gave  me  an  account  of  the  whole  trage- 
dy. The  impression  it  produced  on  my  mind  is  easily  to  be 
imagined.  I  put  myself  in  my  brother's  place,  and  tried  to 
picture  to  myself  what  he  must  have  suffered  in  that  awful  mo- 
ment. As  we  were  speaking  my  mother  came  into  the  room. 
She  told  me  all  she  had  gone  through  during  her  absence.  The 
king  had  never  sought  to  spare  her  in  the  least.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  had  taken  pleasure  in  mortifying  her  whenever  he 
possibly  could.  The  queen  now  came  daily  to  see  me,  and 
caused  me  perfect  panics  of  terror.  "  I  know  that  they  intend 
to  torment  you  as  soon  as  I  have  left  Berlin,"  she  said  to  mo. 
"  They  will  take  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  from  you,  and 
that,  too,  in  a  shameful  manner,  and  will  surround  you  with 
people  whom  you  cannot  trust.  Don't  let  them  disconcert 
you ;  remain  firm,  and  refuse  persistently  to  marry."  In  order 
to  put  her  mind  at  rest,  I  always  replied  that  her  orders  should 
be  obeyed.  I  had,  however,  determined  to  submit  to  the  king's 
will  on  the  very  first  occasion. 

The  king  spent  Christmas  in  Berlin,  and  remained  there  till 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1731.  During  that  time  my  visits 
from  the  queen  were  interrupted.  I  am  now  going  to  com- 
mence the  account  of  the  year  1731. 

On  the  10th  or  12th  of  January  my  father  returned  to  Pots- 
dam, and  the  queen  followed  him  there  on  the  28th.  A  recon- 
ciliation was  effected  by  the  Chamberlain  Sastot  between  her 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIRKUTH.         173 

and  Grumkow.  This  secret  was  at  once  confided  to  me.  My 
mother  said,  "  I  have  won  over  Grumkow :  he  has  assured  me 
that  he  will  do  all  in  his  power  to  settle  your  English  marriage, 
and  to  have  the  crown  prince  restored  to  the  king's  favor.  As 
he  has  come  over  to  our  side  there  is  nothing  more  to  fear." 
This  information  took  me  much  by  surprise.  I  could  not  un- 
derstand how  my  mother  could  possibly  trust  such  a  creature. 
He  had  so  often  cheated  and  betrayed  us,  and  I  felt  certain  he 
would  do  so  again.  However,  I  was  obliged  to  keep  my 
thoughts  to  myself,  because  my  mother  could  not  bear  the  least 
contradiction. 

The  day  before  her  departure  from  Berlin  she  came  once 
more  to  see  me.  She  looked  me  straight  in  the  face  and  said, 
"  I  come  to  take  leave  of  you,  and  hope  that  Grumkow  will 
keep  his  promise,  and  that  you  will  be  left  in  peace  during  my 
absence.  If  it  should,  however,  not  be  so,  I  demand  a  solemn 
oath  from  you  that  you  never  marry  any  one  else  but  the  Prince 
of  Wales.  It  is  quite  easy  for  you  to  take  that  oath,  and  it  will 
comfort  me  greatly."  I  was  at  first  so  much  taken  aback  that 
I  did  not  know  how  to  reply  to  the  queen.  I  tried  to  give  an 
evasive  answer,  saying,  "  As  Grumkow  has  obtained  my  broth- 
er's release,  he  will  now  probably  try  to  get  my  English  mar- 
riage settled,  in  order  to  be  able  to  boast  of  his  success.  I 
therefore  think  that  there  is  nothing  to  fear."  The  queen,  how- 
ever, persisted  on  my  taking  this  oath.  I  did  not  in  the  least 
know  how  to  avoid  doing  so,  and  I  was  afraid  of  my  mother's 
anger.  At  last  the  following  pretext  helped  me  to  enlighten 
her  as  to  the  real  state  of  my  feelings  on  this  vexed  subject.  I 
therefore  answered  her,  "  I  belong  to  the  Reformed  Church,  and 
am  consequently  a  firm  believer  in  the  doctrine  of  predestina- 
tion. I  do  not  know  to  what  corner  of  the  earth  I  am  destined 
by  Providence  to  go.  If  it  is  England,  then  neither  the  king 
nor  any  one  else  will  prevent  my  getting  there.  If,  however, 
one  or  the  other  of  these  two  hateful  marriages  is  my  destiny, 
then  all  your  Majesty's  efforts,  as  well  as  all  my  own,  to  prevent 


174        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

that  marriage  will  b^  unavailing.  My  conscience  forbids  my 
taking  such  an  oath  as  you  propose,  for  I  may  be  unable  to  keep 
it.  I  will  rather  suffer  from  your  anger,  which  will  be  a  great 
grief  to  me,  than  offend  God.  I  will  resist  as  long  as  I  possibly 
can,  but  if  absolutely  necessary  I  shall  give  way  to  my  father." 
The  queen  was  displeased  at  ray  saying  this,  but  felt  that  she 
could  not  argue  against  my  decision.  We  took  a  most  tender 
farewell  of  each  other.  I  could  scarcely  tear  myself  away  from 
her.  My  mother  was  also  greatly  overcome.  We  determined 
we  would  correspond  only  on  ordinary  subjects,  but  that  should 
we  have  anything  of  serious  importance  to  communicate  we 
would  send  the  letters  through  the  wife  of  the  queen's  old  page. 
This  woman  had  ever  since  her  childhood  been  with  my  grand- 
mother, the  Duchess  of  Hanover,  who  educated  and  trained  her. 
She  afterwards  married  this  page.  We  could  trust  her  implic- 
itly, for  she  was  honesty  and  devotion  personified. 

After  the  queen's  departure  I  led  a  very  sad  existence.  I 
was  no  longer  allowed  even  to  leave  my  bedroom,  and  I  did 
not  see  a  soul.  I  spent  my  days  in  reading.  The  month  of 
February  was  spent  in  this  manner.  At  last  I  was  allowed  to 
see  my  mother  and  my  sisters.  I  was  left  entirely  in  peace,  and 
became  accustomed  to  the  enforced  solitude.  Nothing  more 
was  said  about  the  projects  of  marriage.  My  brother  was  safe, 
though  his  existence  was  melancholy  enough.  He  was  able  to 
write  to  me  from  time  to  time,  and  I  had  the  happiness  of  an- 
swering his  letters.  Mademoiselle  von  Sounsfcld's  brother 
managed  this  correspondence  secretly  for  us. 

The  queen  kept  me  daily  informed  of  all  that  took  place. 
She  wrote  to  me  that  she  was  on  very  good  terms  with  Grum- 
kow,  and  had  little  doubt  of  my  marriage  with  the  Prince  of 
Wales  being  settled.  Grumkow  had  authorized  her  to  make 
one  last  attempt  in  that  direction.  I  confess  that  I  could  not 
overcome  my  extreme  distrust  of  this  man ;  he  had  already 
cheated  us  too  often.  After-events  proved  that  I  was  right. 

The  month  of  April  had  come  rouud,  and  I  had  happily  been 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         175 

» 

spared  any  more  communications  from  thtf  king  on  the  sub- 
ject of  these  hateful  marriages.  Now,  however,  a  change  took 
place.  The  king  began  again  to  torment  my  mother  on  the 
subject,  and  Eversmann  recommenced  his  visits  to  me.  On 
one  of  these  occasions  he  told  me  that  the  state-rooms  in  the 
Castle  were  to  be  prepared  for  fetes  which  were  in  prospect. 
"  I  will  tell  you  in  confidence,"  Eversmann  continued, "  that 
the  Duke  of  Wurtemberg,  the  hereditary  Prince  of  Baireuth, 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Bevern  and  Prince  Charles  of  Bevern 
are  expected,  and  that  the  betrothal  of  your  sister  Sophie  with 
the  hereditary  Prince  of  Baireuth  will  then  take  place.  How 
sorry  I  am  for  you  to  be  shut  up  here  alone ;  but  the  king  has 
sworn  that  you  shall  on  no  account  appear  at  these  festivities." 
I  replied  that  I  did  not  in  the  least  care  for  any  of  these  amuse- 
ments, and  that  they  were  quite  indifferent  to  me,  but  not  so 
my  father's  affection.  I  should  use  every  means  in  my  power 
to  regain  his  love. 

It  was  now  almost  three-quarters  of  a  year  since  I  had  been 
able  to  take  the  Holy  Communion,  which  had  been  forbidden 
me.  With  my  mother's  leave  I  now  wrote  to  the  king,  in  the 
most  touching  and  submissive  terms,  imploring  him  to  restore 
me  to  his  favor,  and  also  asking  him  for  permission  to  take  the 
Holy  Communion.  The  king  told  my  mother  to  say  that  his 
"  canaille "  of  a  daughter  might  receive  the  sacrament  if  she 
chose.  He  at  the  same  time  himself  appointed  the  clergyman 
who  was  to  officiate,  and  desired  that  the  service  should  be 
performed  in  my  room,  and  quite  in  secret.  All  looked  on 
this  permission  as  a  good  omen — the  more  so  as  my  father  had 
acted  in  just  the  same  way  towards  my  brother  a  few  days 
before  he  was  liberated  from  the  fortress  of  Kiistrin.  These 
hopes  were  not  of  long  duration.  Grumkow  had  induced  the 
king  to  make  one  last  effort  to  get  my  English  marriage  settled 
without  reference  to  that  of  the  crown  prince.  The  King  of 
England,  who  was  of  a  very  vivacious  temperament,  and  easi- 
ly roused  to  anger,  was  extremely  offended  at  the  treatment 


176        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGBAVINE    OF   BAIBEUTH. 

Hotham  had  received,  as  well  as  at  the  offensive  language  used 
towards  him  on  other  occasions.  Had  my  father  appointed 
any  other  envoy  things  would  probably  never  have  gone  as 
far  as  they  had.  Reichenbach,  who  was  Grumkow's  right 
hand,  and  had  on  all  occasions  endeavored  to  create  misunder- 
standings and  bad  feeling,  was  the  person  chosen.  He  was  to 
demand  a  formal  declaration  from  the  English  king  on  the 
subject  of  my  marriage.  This  was  all  kept  a  secret  from  the 
Prince  of  Wales.  King  George  answered  that  he  insisted  on 
the  double  marriage,  but  would  not  consent  to  either  without 
the  other,  and  that  he  would  marry  his  son  within  four  months. 
To  this  my  father  retorted  that  he  would  see  me  married  be- 
fore two  months  were  over.  The  queen  immediately  told  me 
of  this,  and  implored  me  to  remain  firm,  whatever  might  be 
attempted  against  me. 

In  a  week  from  that  time  Eversmann  presented  himself  before 
me.  He  was  not  sent  by  the  king,  he  said,  but  was  desirous 
to  keep  me  informed  as  to  what  was  going  on.  "  I  really  am 
anxious  for  your  welfare,  and  I  should  be  grieved  if  any  mis- 
fortune overtook  you."  He  then  continued,  "  There  is  noth- 
ing left  you  but  to  marry  the  Duke  of  Weissenfels,  for  all  nego- 
tiations are  broken  off  with  England.  The  king  threatens  to 
submit  your  brother  to  a  fresh  trial.  He  regrets  having  had 
Katt  executed  without  having  previously  put  him  on  the  rack. 
Papers  are  missing,  which  have  been  destroyed,  and  of  which 
you  are  cognizant.  The  king  considers  these  papers  most  im- 
portant, and  if  you  will  not  submit  to  him  he  will  proceed  with 
the  utmost  severity  against  you  and  the  prince."  To  this 
speech  I  answered  in  a  firm,  loud  voice  that  I  knew  of  nothing, 
and  if  my  fate  was  to  be  a  sorrowful  one  it  was  perhaps  the 
lesser  of  two  evils,  and  that  I  would  never  marry.  Eversmann 
returned  to  Potsdam  next  morning,  and  only  came  to  see  me 
again  two  days  later.  The  queen  meanwhile  wrote  daily  to 
me.  She  said  her  distress  was  inexpressible,  and  that  my 
father's  anger  both  against  rnc  and  mv  brother  was  greater 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         177 

than  ever.     He  had  sworn  to  marry  me,  and  treated  her  without 
the  least  consideration. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  the  most  eventful  day  in  my  life,  Evcrs- 
mann  appeared  again  quite  early  in  the  morning.  He  told  me 
he  had  received  the  king's  commands  to  buy  all  that  was  nec- 
essary for  my  wedding,  and  had  given  him  this  order  in  my 
mother's  presence,  who  had  cried  most  bitterly.  If  I  did  not 
at  once  submit  to  the  king's  will  he  was  determined  to  get  rid 
of  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  and  if  I  persisted  in  my  refusal 
I  was  to  be  shut  up  within  the  walls  of  a  prison.  Eversmann 
said  that  the  king  had  already  ordered  the  post-horses  that  were 
to  convey  me  to  the  place  of  my  imprisonment.  My  father 
intended  sending  some  one  to  me  to  demand  my  final  answer. 
I  replied  but  little  to  all  this,  and  endeavored  to  shorten  the 
interview.  As  soon  as  Eversmann  had  left  I  took  my  mother's 
ladies  on  one  side  and  told  them  what  I  had  heard.  They  were 
much  alarmed,  and  asked  me  what  I  should  decide  on  doing. 
"  To  obey,"  I  replied,  "  as  soon  as  some  other  messenger  is  sent 
me  than  Eversmann.  I  should  certainly  not  honor  him  with 
my  answer.  After  the  terrible  example  of  Katt's  death  I  have 
not  the  least  doubt  that  my  father  will  carry  out  his  threats 
against  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld.  What  have  Mademoiselle 
von  Billow  and  Diihau  done  to  be  treated  as  they  have  been? 
I  will  rather  be  miserable  than  cause  the  unhappiness  of  others. 
Besides  which,  my  mother's  and  my  brother's  sad  position  is 
reason  enough  for  any  sacrifice  on  my  part."  My  governess, 
who  had  listened  quietly  to  what  I  had  been  saying,  now  came 
forward  and  entreated  me  to  remain  firm.  She  was  quite  will- 
ing and  ready  to  suffer  everything  for  my  sake.  At  five  o'clock 
that  evening  the  wife  of  my  mother's  page  brought  me  the 
following  letter  from  her: 

"  DEAR  DAUGHTER, — Everything  is  lost.     The  king  is  deter- 
mined to  marry  you.     I  have  had  some  cruel  scenes  on  the 
subject.     Neither  my  tears  nor  my  entreaties  have  been  of  any 
J2 


178         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIEEUTH. 

avail.  Eversraann  has  received  orders  to  prepare  everything 
for  the  wedding.  You  will  lose  Mademoiselle  von  Sonusfeld 
(the  king  is  determined  on  that  point)  if  you  do  not  submit. 
For  God's  sake  do  not  give  in !  A  prison  is  better  than  a  bad 
marriage.  Good-by,  dear  daughter.  I  hope  great  things  from 
your  courage  and  firmness." 

The  queen's  ladies  and  I  were  still  speaking  about  this  letter 
when  a  servant  came  rushing  into  the  room,  and  announced 
General  von  Podewils  and  another  gentleman,  who  wished  to 
speak  with  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld.  The  ladies  left  me  with- 
out delay,  and  immediately  afterwards  Mademoiselle  von  Sonns- 
feld came  to  me  saying  that  these  gentlemen  had  come  by  the 
king's  orders  to  speak  with  me.  "  For  God's  sake,"  she  added, 
"do  not  let  them  frighten  you,  but  obey  the  orders  of  the  queen. 

The  gentlemen  now  entered  my  room.  They  were  Marshal 
Bork,  Grumkow,  Podewils,  and  one  other,  who  I  afterwards 
found  out  was  M.  Thulemeier.  He  was  also  a  minister  of  state, 
and  both  coarse  and  false.  He  had  hitherto  pretended  to  be 
devoted  to  the  queen's  cause.  I  had  never  seen  him  before, 
as  he  was  of  too  low  rank  to  be  admitted  at  Court.  These  gen- 
tlemen thereupon  made  my  governess  understand  that  her  pres- 
ence was  not  required,  and  locked  all  the  doors.  Grumkow 
now  addressed  me  as  follows :  "  We  are  sent  here  by  the 
king's  orders  to  tell  your  Royal  Highness  that  the  king  insists 
on  your  marriage.  Till  now  he  has  put  it  off,  hoping  that  Eng- 
land would  consent  to  your  marriage  with  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
However,  all  hopes  of  this  are  over.  The  King  of  England 
has  refused  to  consider  our  sovereign's  proposals.  Indeed,  he 
has  let  him  know  that  the  prince  will  be  married  within  a 
year.  Your  father  very  naturally  felt  this  offence  keenly,  and 
answered  that  you  would  be  married  in  three  months'  time. 
He  must  keep  his  word,  and  although  he  did  not  feel  bound, 
as  your  father  and  master,  to  enter  into  any  discussion  with 
you  on  this  subject,  he  wishes  you  to  consider  how  disgraceful 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        179 

it  is,  both  to  yourself  and  him,  to  be  treated  as  England's  play- 
thing. The  rupture  which  the  King  of  England  has  caused 
in  the  two  families  by  his  obstinacy  is  quite  reason  enough  for 
your  Royal  Highness's  making  another  alliance.  Think  of 
the  sorrow  which  your  mother  daily  endures  for  your  sake; 
think  of  your  brother's  position,  and  of  that  of  so  many  others 
on  whom  the  king's  anger  has  fallen  !  To  prevent  your  put- 
ting any  difficulties  in  the  way,  we  are  commanded  to  propose 
to  you  in  marriage  the  hereditary  Prince  of  Baireuth,  but  at 
the  same  time  leaving  you  the  option  of  marrying  the  Duke  of 
Weisscnfels  or  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt.  You  cannot  have 
anything  to  urge  against  the  Prince  of  Baireuth,  because  you 
do  not  know  him.  You  cannot  even  reproach  him  with  what 
you  did  the  others,  for  he  has  a  beautiful  principality  of  his 
own,  and  then  the  queen  herself  first  proposed  him.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  as  you  have  been  educated  in  the  idea  of  obtaining 
a  crown  you  may  be  somewhat  disappointed.  Princesses  of 
great  houses  are  destined  from  their  birth  to  sacrifice  them- 
selves for  the  good  of  their  country  ;  and,  after  all,  a  high  posi- 
tion does  not  always  bring  earthly  happiness  with  it.  I  advise 
your  Royal  Highness,  therefore,  to  submit  to  the  decrees  of 
Providence.  Let  us  be  the  bearers  of  such  an  answer  as  will 
restore  peace  to  your  family.  If  all  the  reasons  I  have  put 
forward  here  are  still  unavailing  in  inducing  you  to  submit,  I 
have  the  king's  order  (which  he  showed  me)  to  have  you  con- 
veyed to  a  fortress,  where  you  are  to  be  imprisoned.  And 
here  is  another  order,"  Grumkow  continued,  "  which  concerns 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  and  your  other  companions,  whose 
fate  will  be  far  more  grievous  than  Katt's.  Several  points  in  the 
crown  prince's  trial  were  purposely  not  inquired  into,  in  order 
to  leave  him  a  means  of  escape.  The  king  now  intends  to 
have  him  reimprisoned  in  the  fortress.  On  the  other  hand, 
listen  to  what  the  king  promises  you  if  you  will  obey  him. 
First,  he  will  give  you  a  larger  dowry  than  any  of  your  sisters ; 
secondly,  your  brother  is  to  be  set  completely  at  liberty  two 


180         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

days  after  your  marriage,  and  everything  that  has  passed  is  to 
be  forgotten ;  and,  thirdly,  he  promises  you  to  treat  the  queen 
more  kindly."  During  this  long  address  I  prayed  to  the  Al- 
mighty to  direct  me  to  come  to  a'  right  decision.  I  answered 
the  gentlemen,  saying,  "  You  are  much  mistaken  if  you  imag- 
ine that  it  was  the  wish  to  become  queen  which  has  prevented 
my  obeying  my  father.  I  am  not  in  the  least  aware  what  has 
roused  his  anger  against  me,  because  he  has  never  let  me  know 
anything  about  a  marriage.  I  never  thought  Eversmann's  gos- 
sip about  the  subject  was  a  message  from  the  king.  If  the 
king  had  been  agreed  with  the  queen  about  it,  I  should  have 
been  ready  at  any  moment  to  assure  him  of  my  submission, 
and  I  will  do  so  at  once  if  he  will  allow  me  to  get  my  moth- 
er's consent  to  doing  so.  If  the  queen,  however,  persists  in 
her  refusal,  then  I  shall  be  unable  to  accept  the  proposal." 
"  No,  your  Royal  Highness,"  Grumkow  answered,  "  that  is  for- 
bidden you,  and  we  have  the  king's  commands  not  to  leave 
you  till  you  give  an  answer."  "  Will  you  still  remain  obsti- 
nate?" Marshal  Bork  now  said.  "The  king  has  assured  me 
that  his  whole  peace  of  mind  depends  on  your  answer." 
" Yes,"  Thulemeier  added,  "I  am  a  devoted  servant  of  the 
queen's,  and  know  she  would  approve  of  this  step."  He  then 
looked  fixedly  at  me,  saying,  "  You  risk  everything  if  you  do 
not  submit."  I  asked  Grumkow  who  it  was  that  was  speaking 
to  me,  and  when  I  heard  it  was  Thulemeier  I  felt  I  must  no 
longer  hesitate.  "  Well,  then,"  I  said,  "  I  am  ready  to  be  the 
victim,  and  gladly  sacrifice  myself  for  my  family,  hoping  peace 
will  thereby  be  restored  to  it.  As  to  you,  gentlemen,  you 
will  have  to  appear  before  God's  judgment-seat  to  answer  for 
your  sins,  if  you  do  not  insist  on  my  father  keeping  the  prom- 
ises he  has  made  me  with  regard  to  my  brother.  You  swear 
to  me  that  they  shall  be  carried  out  to  the  letter,  if  I  write  to 
the  king  and  tell  him  I  am  ready  to  obey  him,  and  accept  the 
proposal  of  marriage  with  the  hereditary  Prince  of  Bairenth." 
They  allowed  me  to  write  also  to  the  queen,  and  having  given 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE   MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTJI.        181 

them  my  letters  to  her  and  to  the  king,  they  took  their  leave. 
Thulemeier  remained  behind  for  a  moment,  and  said,  "  Your 
Royal  Highness  has  acted  a^  a  gifted  princess  should.  The 
king  will  be  delighted  with  your  answer,  which  will  pacify 
him.  You  will  still  be  happy.  Comfort  yourself,  for  all  is 
not  yet  lost."  As  soon  as  I  was  alone  I  burst  out  crying ;  my 
governess  was  in  despair,  all  around  me  were  in  the  greatest 
dismay.  The  next  day  I  received  a  letter  from  my  father,  in 
which  he  wrote,  "  I  am  very  pleased,  indeed,  dear  Wilhelmine, 
that  you  submit  to  the  wishes  of  your  father.  God  will  bless 
you,  and  I  will  never  desert  you,  but  shall  care  for  you  all  the 
days  of  my  life,  and  shall  always  prove  to  you  that  I  am  your 
devoted  father." 

I  answered  him  at  once,  and  also  wrote  the  following  letter 
to  my  mother : 

"  Your  Majesty  will  have  learned  my  fate  from  the  sad  let- 
ter I  sent  you  under  cover  to  the  king.  It  is  very  difficult  to 
describe  to  you  in  what  a  state  I  am.  My  consent  to  my  mar- 
riage was  not  forced  from  me  by  the  threats  made  me,  how- 
ever dreadful  these  were.  They  showed  me  a  paper,  signed  by 
the  king's  own  hand,  containing  my  sentence.  It  was  to  be 
carried  out  if  I  still  persisted  in  my  refusal.  I  was  told  of  the 
disagreement  subsisting  between  you  and  the  king,  and  the 
account  of  it  made  me  shudder.  Every  reason  that  I  could 
possibly  give  against  the  marriage  was  rendered  useless — even 
the  plea  that  I  could  not  accept  the  Prince  of  Baireuth  without 
first  having  your  consent.  I  was  reminded  that  your  Majesty 
yourself  had  a  year  ago  proposed  this  very  alliance.  Besides 
which,  the  king  had  forbidden  me  to  ask  you  for  advice.  The 
gentlemen  had  received  orders  not  to  leave  my  room  till  I  had 
given  them  an  answer.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  relate  all 
that  was  said.  I  must  keep  it  till  I  have  the  honor  of  seeing 
your  Majesty  and  telling  you  myself.  I  can  but  too  well  un- 
derstand how  grieved  you  will  be,  and  that  is  what  hurts  me 
most.  I  beseech  your  Majesty  to  submit  to  God's  will.  He 


182        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

directs  all  for  the  best.  I  do  so  more  earnestly,  as  I  am  so 
happy  at  being  able  to  sacrifice  myself  for  my  dear  mother  and 
ray  brother.  I  love  both  of  them  so  tenderly  that  I  wish  it 
were  in  my  power  to  do  more  for  them.  I  therefore  entreat 
you  again,  if  your  Majesty  has  the  least  love  for  me,  to  take 
care  of  your  health,  which  is  more  precious  to  me  than  life. 
I  had  the  misfortune  to  be  the  sole  cause  of  all  your  trouble 
and  sorrow,  and  I  could  bear  it  no  longer.  I  am  quite  content 
to  accept  the  decrees  of  Providence,  and  trust  that  the  prayers 
which  I  offer  daily  for  your  Majesty's  happiness  will  be  heard. 
One  source  of  comfort  you  at  least  have  in  the  promise  which 
has  been  made  me  of  my  brother's  freedom  and  of  your  being 
treated  in  a  kind  and  considerate  manner.  I  write  this  letter 
crying  bitterly,  and  with  a  trembling  hand,  but  at  peace  in  the 
thought  that  I  have  sacrificed  myself  for  you.  I  am  sure  these 
lines  must  touch  you,  and  that  you  will  understand  the  tender 
feelings  of  a  daughter  for  her  mother,  whom  she  will  never, 
till  her  last  hour,  cease  to  love  and  honor." 

The  queen's  answer  to  this  letter  was  so  terrible  that  I  did 
not  keep  it,  but  I  cannot  either  forget  it.  Among  other 
things  she  wrote,  "You  pierce  my  heart  through  and  through 
by  your  abominable  conduct  in  submitting  to  the  king's  will. 
I  no  longer  own  you  as  my  daughter:  you  are  unworthy  of 
being  my  child.  I  shall  never  forgive  you  the  cruel  annoy- 
ance you  have  caused  me.  Had  I  known  sooner  what  a  bad 
heart  yours  is,  I  might  have  saved  myself  much  trouble  and 
worry  on  your  account." 

For  a  whole  week  I  received  letters  written  in  the  same  tone. 
My  answers  were  as  touching  and  affectionate  as  possible.  No- 
body's grief  ever  equalled  mine.  My  health  began  to  suffer 
from  it,  and  I  shook  from  head  to  foot  so  that  I  could  scarcely 
stand.  My  position  caused  me  most  sad  reflections.  I  was  on 
the  point  of  being  married  to  a  prince  whom  I  did  not  even 
know.  The  world  spoke  highly  of  him,  but  I  did  not  know 
whether  mutual  sympathy,  so  necessary  to  happiness  in  married 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE  MARGRAVINE  OP  BAIRETJTH.      183 

life,  would  accompany  ray  marriage.  The  good  understanding 
that  had  subsisted  between  my  mother  and  myself  was  destroy- 
ed forever,  for  I  knew  her  revengeful  nature.  All  those  who 
had  formerly  paid  me  court  turned  their  backs  on  me,  and  the 
first  to  do  so  were  the  queen's  ladies.  I  do  not  know  how  I 
bore  so  much  sorrow  without  dying  of  it. 

Eversmann  came  one  day  and  told  me,  with  a  kind  message 
from  the  king,  that  he  would  come  to  Berlin  next  day.  He 
would  endeavor  to  arrive  before  my  mother,  who  was  to  reach 
Berlin  only  in  the  evening.  The  king  desired  my  sisters  and 
myself  to  be  in  his  rooms  on  his  arrival.  Eversmann  told  me 
that  rny  mother  was  by  no  means  pacified,  and  that  I  must  ex- 
pect to  be  unkindly  treated  by  her.  He  also  told  me  that  the 
Duchess  of  Bevern,  who  had  been  for  several  days  at  Potsdam, 
had  tried  all  her  powers  of  persuasion  with  the  queen.  I  spent 
the  whole  day  in  tears.  On  the  following  day  I  went  to  my 
father's  apartments,  where  he  arrived  at  two  o'clock.  I  ex- 
pected an  affectionate  reception,  and  was  therefore  sadly  taken 
aback  to  see  my  father  enter  with  as  furious  an  expression  as 
ever  on  his  face.  "  Will  you  obey  me  or  not  ?"  the  king  said 
to  me.  I  threw  myself  sobbing  at  his  feet,  and  assured  him  of 
my  entire  submission,  and  begged  him  to  restore  his  fatherly 
affection  to  me.  He  then  lifted  me  up  from  the  ground  and 
embraced  me  kindly,  saying,  "  Now  I  am  satisfied  with  you.  I 
shall  always  look  after  you  as  long  as  I  live." 

The  queen  arrived  only  at  seven  o'clock  that  evening.  I 
wanted  to  kiss  the  hem  of  her  dress,  and  fainted  in  doing  so. 
I  was  told  that  she  was  not  in  the  least  moved  by  seeing  the 
condition  I  was  in.  It  took  some  time  before  they  could  re- 
store me  to  consciousness.  I  then  threw  myself  at  her  feet; 
but  my  heart  was  so  full,  and  tears  so  choked  my  utterance, 
that  I  was  incapable  of  saying  a  word.  During  the  whole  of 
this  scene  my  mother  looked  at  me  in  a  hard,  disdainful  man- 
ner. Ramen  at  last  put  an  end  to  this  painful  interview.  She 
represented  to  the  queen  how  extremely  displeased  and  angry 


184        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    UAIREUTH. 

my  father  would  be  when  he  learned  how  she  treated  me,  and 
that  he  would  make  her  suffer  for  it.  She  added  that  my  grief 
was  apparently  so  great  that  I  was  unable  to  control  myself. 
If  the  queen  did  not  change  her  manner  towards  me,  Ramen 
told  her,  it  would  only  lead  to  fresh  disagreeables.  This  speech 
made  some  impression  on  my  mother,  for  she  was  much  afraid 
of  the  king.  She  therefore  pretended  to  be  touched  by  my 
distress,  bade  me  get  up,  and  said  in  a  most  dry  tone  that  she 
would  forgive  me  on  condition  that  I  did  not  make  a  further 
exhibition  of  my  sorrow. 

At  this  moment  the  Duke  of  Bevern  with  his  wife  and  son 
entered  the  room.  The  duchess  could  not  hide  her  emotion 
on  seeing  my  state  of  distress.  I  had  never  before  seen  her, 
but  she  assured  me  in  whispers  of  her  sympathy ;  and  from 
that  moment  we  took  a  great  affection  for  each  other,  and  re- 
mained firm  friends  forever  after. 

The  next  day  M.  Thulemeier,  whom  I  have  already  mentioned, 
secretly  sent  my  mother  word  that  all  was  not  yet  lost.  He  con- 
sidered that  all  the  steps  my  father  had  taken  about  my  marriage 
were  a  sort  of  bait  to  force  the  King  of  England  to  make  tip 
his  mind.  Thulemeier  said  he  had  made  inquiries  everywhere 
about  the  hereditary  Prince  of  Baireuth,  and  had  been  unable 
to  hear  anything  of  him.  It  was  therefore  impossible  that  he 
had  returned  home,  and  also  impossible  that  he  could  come  to 
Berlin. 

.  This  letter  of  Thulemcier's  pacified  the  queen,  and  she  treated 
me  more  kindly.  She  desired  me  to  tell  her  everything  that 
had  happened  during  her  absence.  She  reproached  me  inces- 
santly, but  in  a  gentler  tone.  Her  hopes  grew  daily.  The  king 
made  no  mention  of  my  marriage,  and  it  seemed  almost  as  if 
my  act  of  submission  had  made  him  forget  all  about  it. 

Monday,  May  27th,  was  fixed  for  a  great  review  of  all  the 
troops.  The  review  was  this  year  to  be  particularly  brilliant. 
For  this  purpose  the  king  had  caused  all  the  infantry  and 
cavalry  regiments  in  the  country  to  assemble  at  Berlin.  These 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         185 

regiments,  together  with  the  garrison  of  Berlin,  formed  an  army 
corps  of  twenty  thousand  men.  A  few  days  before  the  review 
Duke  Eberhard  Ludwig,  of  Wiirtemberg,  arrived  at  Berlin.  The 
king  had  paid  him  a  visit  a  short  time  before  all  my  brother's 
troubles  began.  He  had  been  so  flattered  by  the  kindness  and 
civility  shown  him  at  Stuttgart  that  he  had  invited  the  duke 
to  come  to  Berlin.  As  my  father  found  his  greatest  pleasure 
in  life  in  his  troops,  he  thought  he  could  give  others  no  greater 
mark  of  civility  than  by  showing  off  his  soldiers  to  them.  For 
this  reason  he  always  held  reviews  whenever  foreign  princes 
came  to  Berlin.  It  must  be  confessed  that  the  king  on  this 
occasion  outdid  himself.  The  festivities  were  really  splendid, 
and  during  the  whole  time  the  foreign  guests  remained  at 
Berlin  fourteen  courses  were  served  at  dinner.  This  was  a 
great  feat  for  my  father.  But  to  return  to  my  narrative. 

On  Sunday,  the  26th,  the  king  told  my  mother  that  he 
wished  her  to  be  present  at  the  review  next  morning.  "The 
Duchess  of  Bevern  and  my  two  daughters  will  accompany  you 
in  the  carriage,"  he  added,  "  and  you  must  be  ready  dressed 
at  4  A.M.  I  do  not  intend  dining  to-night,  so  you  must  enter- 
tain the  princes  while  I  go  to  bed."  The  queen  left  my  father 
and  returned  to  her  own  room,  where  she  began  a  game  at 
Pharo.*  She  had  scarcely  finished  it  when  we  saw  a  post-chaise 
drive  up  to  the  principal  entrance  of  the  Castle.  As  this  right 
is  granted  only  to  princes  of  high  rank,  the  queen  was  at  once 
alarmed,  and  asked  who  it  was  that  had  arrived.  Soon  after 
the  answer  was  brought  her  that  it  was  the  hereditary  Prince 
of  Baireuth.  No  thunder-bolt  could  have  caused  her  a  great- 
er shock ;  she  became  as  pale  as  death,  and  almost  fainted.  I 
was  in  much  the  same  condition.  After  some  little  reflection, 
I  went  up  to  my  mother  and  asked  her  to  excuse  ray  accom- 
panying her  next  day  to  the  review.  "My  father  will  make 
such  a  to-do  with  me  in  public,"  I  said,  "  that  it  will  be  pain- 

*  A  game  at  cards. 


186        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGE AVIISTE    OF   BAIREUTKL 

fill  for  your  Majesty  to  have  to  witness  it."  The  queen  quite 
agreed  with  me,  but  her  almost  slavish  terror  of  the  king  for- 
bade her  granting  my  request.  After  some  dispute  on  the 
subject,  it  was  settled  that  I  must  go  with  her. 

I  spent  a  cruel  night.  Dreadful  palpitations  of  the  heart 
and  an  indescribable  terror  deprived  me  almost  of  speech. 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  did  her  best  to  comfort  me.  She 
sat  near  my  bed,  crying  bitterly.  I  was  obliged  to  get  up  early 
and  dress.  I  covered  my  face  up  as  much  as  I  could  and  went 
to  the  queen,  and  we  soon  afterwards  drove  off  together.  The 
troops  were  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle.  We  drove  down  the 
lines,  and  then  took  up  our  position  close  to  a  battery,  which 
was  at  some  distance  from  the  troops.  Colonel  von  Wach- 
holtz,  one  of  the  king's  favorites,  now  approached  my  mother, 
and  told  her  that  by  the  king's  command  he  was  to  have  the 
honor  of  presenting  to  her  the  hereditary  Prince  Henry  of 
Baireuth.  He  then  did  so.  The  queen  received  the  prince 
very  haughtily,  and  said  a  few  cold  words  to  him,  after  which 
she  motioned  him  away.  The  prince  was  tall  and  well  grown : 
he  had  noble  features,  and  an  open,  pleasing  expression.  Al- 
though his  features  were  not  regular,  his  whole  appearance  was 
that  of  a  very  handsome  man.  The  hot  weather,  together  with 
the  fear  and  agitation  I  was  in,  caused  me  to  faint  away.  I 
was  carried  to  a  carriage  in  which  my  mother  and  Mademoi- 
selle von  Sonnsfeld  were  sitting.  After  some  time  the  reme- 
dies they  applied  restored  me  to  consciousness.  They  did  all 
they  could  besides  to  help  me  to  regain  my  composure.  I  re- 
mained with  them  during  the  whole  review.  The  king  and  the 
princes  all  dined  in  the  town,  so  that  we  saw  nothing  more  of 
them  that  day. 

On  the  28th,  Prince  Henry  of  Baireuth,  with  the  other 
princes,  came  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  queen.  She  spoke 
very  little  to  him,  and  when  he  turned  to  me  1  acknowledged 
Ijis  bow  without  saying  anything. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         187 

The  29th  and  30th  passed  without  anything  being  said  by 
the  king.  On  the  31st  he  sent  for  my  mother  and  myself  to 
corae  to  his  room.  "You  know,"  he  said,  "that  I  have  prom- 
ised my  daughter  in  marriage  to  the  Prince  of  Baireuth.  I 
wish  the  betrothal  to  take  place  to-morrow.  You  can,  if  you 
choose  to  take  the  thing  in  the  right  spirit,  win  all  my  love ;  if, 
on  the  contrary,  you  show  any  ill-will,  you  may  count  on  my  tak- 
ing my  revenge."  The  king  said  much  the  same  to  me.  Both 
the  queen  and  I  then  assured  him  that  his  wishes  were  law  to  us. 
My  father  then  desired  my  mother  to  dress  me  handsomely, 
and  to  lend  me  her  jewels.  The  queen,  who  was  almost  chok- 
ing with  rage,  cast  furious  looks  at  me  all  the  time,  but  was 
forced  to  submit.  Soon  after  this  the  queen  went  to  her  apart- 
ments, and  in  a  little  while  the  king  brought  the  prince  to  her. 

It  is  time  that  I  should  now  say  something  about  this 
prince's  character,  as  well  as  his  position  and  circumstances. 
He  had  been  educated  at  Geneva  in  the  simplest  manner.  His 
father,  the  Margrave,  was  a  prince  of  the  House  of  Culmbach, 
from  which  he  received  an  annuity.  As  his  means  were  not 
sufficient  for  him  to  live  as  his  rank  demanded,  he  retired  to  a 
small  town  in  the  king's  dominions,  called  Beverling,  and  after- 
wards lived  in  Rothenburg,  a  free  town  in  Franconia.  He  was 
the  next  heir  to  the  Margravate  of  Brandenburg-Culmbach ;  but 
as  the  reigning  Margrave,  George  Wilhelm,  was  still  quite  young 
and  was  married,  the  Margrave  of  Baireuth  resigned  his  rights  to 
King  Frederick  I.,  on  condition  of  receiving  four  hundred  thou- 
sand thalers,*  and  a  regiment  for  each  of  his  sons.  The  two  eld- 
est sons  of  the  prince  went  to  study  at  Utrecht.  On  their  return 
from  the  University  they  found  their  father  beside  himself  and 
the  whole  family  in  despair.  The  conditions  under  which  he 
had  resigned  his  rights  to  Brandenburg-Culmbach  had  not  been 
fulfilled,  and  the  money  had  been  reduced  by  nearly  two-thirds. 
Meanwhile  Prince  Henry  had  died,  and  the  Margrave,  George 

*  Sixty  thousand  pounds. 


188        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    RAIREUTH. 

Frederick  Charles,  determined  finally,  after  vainly  endeavoring 
to  get  things  settled  by  the  Government,  to  take  up  his  abode 
at  Beverling.  It  was  there  that  he  was  born  who  was  to  be- 
come my  husband.  Some  other  children,  of  whom  I  shall 
speak  later,  were  also  born  there.  King  Frederick  I.  died  in 
course  of  time,  but  my  father's  accession  brought  no  change  in 
the  prince's  circumstances.  All  the  lawyers  that  were  consult- 
ed on  the  subject  said  the  renunciation  of  his  rights  could  not 
hold  good.  The  family,  therefore,  left  Beverling  secretly,  and 
visited  all  the  German  Courts,  in  order  to  secure  their  help  and 
interest.  At  last  they  succeeded,  with  the  help  of  the  Emperor 
of  Austria  and  all  the  great  lawyers  in  the  land,  in  getting  back 
their  rights,  and  in  having  the  arrangement  which  had  been 
made  with  Frederick  I.  declared  null  and  void.  When  Mar- 
grave William  of  Brandenburg-Culmbach  and  his  son  died,  the 
Margravate  fell  to  Prince  George  Frederick  Charles. 

When  the  Margrave  assumed  the  government  he  found  his 
affairs  in  the  utmost  confusion.  His  predecessor  had  left  many 
debts,  and  the  revenues,  in  consequence  of  bad  management, 
were  much  reduced.  The  Margrave  found  himself,  therefore, 
unable  to  devote  necessary  attention  to  his  son's  education.  lie 
intrusted  it  at  first  to  a  middle-class  tutor,  and  only  when  he 
was  to  commence  his  travels  gave  his  son  into  the  charge  of  M. 
von  Voit,  a  gentleman  of  good  birth.  What  an  unfortunate 
idea!  A  good  education  is  the  greatest  blessing  we  can  give 
our  children. 

Prince  Henry  of  Baireuth  had  just  returned  from  his  journey 
to  France  and  Holland  when  he  arrived  at  Berlin.  He  was 
lively,  and  not  shy  or  awkward.  His  conversation  was  most 
agreeable.  He  was  very  clever,  had  a  good  head  and  clear 
judgment.  His  wonderful  generosity  and  goodness  of  heart 
won  him  the  affection  and  respect  of  all.  Generous,  charitable, 
civil,  courteous,  and  even-tempered,  he  possessed  all  the  virtues 
of  this  world  without  any  of  the  vices. 

I  fear  I  shall  be  thought  partial  in  my  opinion  of  him;  but 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         189 

his  country,  in  which  he  is  adored,  and  all  who  knew  him  will 
bear  witness  to  the  truth  of  what  I  have  said.  But  as  no  one 
is  without  faults,  I  shall,  in  the  course  of  these  memoirs,  have 
occasion  to  make  mention  of  his.  They  arc  but  slight ;  but,  as 
I  have  determined  to  be  perfectly  honest  about  everything,  nei- 
ther shall  I  hide  my  own  shortcomings. 

The  queen  gave  the  prince  a  pretty  good  reception,  and  as  long 
as  the  king  was  present  treated  him  civilly.  No  sooner  had 
my  father,  however,  turned  his  back  than  she  never  ceased  say- 
ing the  most  unpleasant  things  to  him.  In  the  evening  after 
dinner  the  prince  followed  my  mother,  and  begged  her  to  grant 
him  a  few  moments'  conversation.  She  would  gladly  have  es- 
caped from  this,  had  she  been  able  to  do  so  with  dignity.  As 
soon  as  they  were  alone  together  the  prince  began,  "  I  have 
been  made  acquainted  with  all  the  sorrow  and  annoyance  to 
which  your  Majesty  has  been  subjected.  I  know  the  princess 
was  destined  for  the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  that  it  was  your 
Majesty's  ardent  wish  to  see  her  settled  in  England.  I  know, 
too,  that  it  is  only  in  consequence  of  the  rupture  of  the  nego- 
tiations for  that  marriage  that  I  have  the  honor  of  being  chosen 
the  king's  son-in-law.  My  happiness  and  my  good-fortune  are 
great,  indeed,  to  be  allowed  to  aspire  to  the  hand  of  a  princess 
for  whom  I  have  the  warmest  and  most  respectful  feelings. 
But  it  is  just  these  feelings  which  make  me  aware  how  far  too 
precious  she  is  for  me  to  venture  to  marry  her  against  her  will. 
I  therefore  respectfully  implore  your  Majesty  to  speak  quite 
openly  with  me  as  to  your  views  on  the  subject.  Be  assured 
that  I  will  abide  by  your  answer.  I  would  rather  break  with 
the  king  and  be  a  miserable  man  for  the  rest  of  my  life  than 
cause  the  princess  unhappiness." 

The  queen  was  quite  unprepared  for  this  speech,  and  reflect- 
ed for  a  few  moments  what  she  should  answer.  As  she  feared 
the  king's  anger,  and  did  not  think  she  could  trust  the  prince, 
she  replied  that  she  had  no  exception  whatever  to  take  to  the 
king's  wishes,  and  both  she  and  I  were  obliged  to  obey  them, 


190         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  a  Sunday  morning,  I  went  to  the  queen's 
room,  where  soon  afterwards  the  ting  appeared.  He  present- 
ed me  with  a  beautiful  diamond  ring,  which  I  was  to  give  the 
prince  that  evening  as  a  betrothal  ring,  and  also  gave  me  a 
service  of  gold  plate.  He  repeated  his  injunctions  to  the 
queen  to  accept  the  present  state  of  things  with  a  good  grace. 
I  dined  alone  with  my  mother,  who  was  terribly  agitated,  and 
looked  the  whole  time  at  me  with  eyes  full  of  anger. 

That  evening  at  seven  we  went  over  to  the  state-rooms  of 
the  Castle.  The  queen  and  all  the  princesses  sat  in  one  room 
which  had  been  specially  prepared  for  them,  and  to.  which  no 
one  but  my  mother's  court  was  admitted.  Soon  afterwards 
the  king  entered  with  Prince  Henry  of  Baireuth.  My  father 
was  as  much  agitated  as  my  mother,  so  that  he  quite  forgot  to 
betroth  us  formally  in  the  room  appointed  for  the  ceremony. 
The  king  approached  the  prince  and  myself  and  caused  us  to 
exchange  rings.  I  wanted  to  kiss  his  hands,  but  he  kissed  me 
and  took  me  in  his  arms  and  held  me  there  a  long  time,  while 
the  tears  poured  down  his  face.  The  queen  received  me  with 
her  usual  coldness.  The  king  then  bade  the  prince  give  me 
his  hand  to  lead  me  to  the  ballroom.  As  soon  as  we  entered 
our  betrothal  was  announced.  I  was  much  beloved  in  Berlin, 
and  as  the  English  marriage  had  been  greatly  desired,  all  were 
much  dismayed.  The  ladies  wept,  and  silently  kissed  the  hem 
of  my  dress ;  indeed,  the  king  himself  never  ceased  crying. 

Grurakow  and  Seckendorf  meanwhile  could  not  contain  their 
satisfaction,  for  they  had  successfully  accomplished  a  new  trick. 
Lord  Chesterfield,  the  English  envoy  in  Holland,  had  sent  a 
messenger  from  the  English  Court  to  Berlin,  who  had  arrived 
that  very  morning.  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  had,  however, 
delayed  the  messenger,  so  that  he  was  able  to  present  his  de- 
spatches to  the  king  only  in  the  evening  after  my  betrothal  had 
been  declared. 

The  King  of  England  had  at  last  consented  to  agree  to  my 
father's  wishes,  and  to  allow  my  marriage  with  the  Prince  of 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MA.RGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         191 

Wales  to  take  place,  without  reference  to  my  brother.  This 
news  fell  on  the  king  like  a  thunder-bolt.  Grumkow  and  Seck- 
endorf  managed,  however,  to  pacify  him,  and  to  induce  him  to 
give  an  answer  which  entirely  carried  out  their  wishes.  The 
king's  reply  was  that  he  refused  to  entertain  any  of  the  pro- 
posals made  to  him  by  England.  My  mother  heard  of  this 
only  next  day,  and  in  spite  of  the  king's  words  still  flattered 
herself  that  she  could  break  off  my  marriage.  She  forbade 
me,  under  pain  of  her  extreme  displeasure,  either  to  speak  to 
Prince  Henry  or  show  him  the  slightest  mark  of  civility. 

Prince  Henry  was  really  indifferent  to  me.  I  did  not  dis- 
like him,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  I  had  no  feeling  of  affection 
for  him.  I  was,  however,  anxious  to  be  soon  married  to  him, 
in  order  to  have  peace,  and  to  put  an  end  to  the  perpetual  teas- 
ing I  was  subjected  to  by  the  queen  and  others.  All  those 
who  had  lived  at  the  Court  of  the  late  Margrave  never  wearied 
of  telling  me  of  all  its  splendors  and  amusements.  They  as- 
sured me  that  the  riches  in  plate,  both  gold  and  silver,  far  ex- 
ceeded anything  at  Berlin.  These  descriptions  made  me  desir- 
ous of  soon  settling  in  my  new  home.  I  built  many  castles  in 
the  air,  picturing  to  myself  the  happy,  quiet  life  I  should  lead 
there.  As  long  as  I  was  still  under  my  mother's  care  I  deter- 
mined to  obey  her  in  all  things,  as  much  from  fear  of  her  as  to 
escape  from  the  ill-treatment  to  which  I  was  exposed. 

But  my  evil  star  pursued  me,  and  a  new  demon  raised  its 
head  to  drive  me  to  despair.  I  have  already  mentioned  that 
my  elder  sister  was  married  to  the  Margrave  of  Anspach,  and 
that  my  sister  Charlotte  had  married  Prince  Charles  of  Bevern, 
a  scion  of  the  House  of  Brunswick  and  nephew  to  the  Empress 
of  Austria.  Of  all  my  sisters  I  loved  Charlotte  the  most,  and 
had  known  how  to  make  her  beloved  by  my  mother.  In  those 
days  I  did  not  know  her  evil  nature,  from  which  I  had  later  so 
much  to  suffer.  Charlotte  was  very  clever  and  very  lively. 
As  nothing  ever  disturbed  her,  and  scoldings  made  no  impres- 
sion on  her,  she  had  had  the  nickname  given  her  of  "  I  Don't 


192         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

Care."  The  whole  world  was  indifferent  to  her,  and  she  trou- 
bled herself  about  nothing  except  what  concerned  her  own  lit- 
tle person.  She  was  always  in  the  best  of  humors,  merry  and 
full  of  mischief,  besides  being  extremely  amusing.  She  was 
also,  by  fits  and  starts,  very  kind-hearted,  and  knew  how  to 
make  herself  agreeable  to  those  who  required  her  help;  but  she 
was  very  capricious,  false,  and  jealous,  and  liked  to  amuse  her- 
self at  the  expense  of  others.  She  was  at  that  time  fifteen 
years  old.  Charlotte  was  very  jealous  of  the  love  my  mother 
bore  me,  and  during  the  time  she  spent  with  the  queen  at 
Wusterhausen  and  Potsdam,  while  I  was,  so  to  speak,  under 
arrest,  she  did  all  in  her  power  to  ingratiate  herself  with  her. 
She  did  me  all  the  harm  she  could,  and  continually  stirred  up 
my  mother's  anger  against  me.  There  was  at  this  moment 
fresh  cause  for  my  sister's  being  jealous  of  me.  Prince  Henry 
of  Baireuth  was  much  handsomer  than  Prince  Charles.  He 
often  joked  with  her,  and  showed  her  much  civility.  This  flat- 
tered her,  and  his  manners  pleased  her  far  more  than  her  hus- 
band's, who  was  extremely  shy  and  phlegmatic. 

About  this  time  we  went  to  Charlottenburg.  A  great  day's 
shooting  had  been  arranged  on  our  way  there,  to  which  the 
Prince  of  Anhalt  and  his  two  sons,  Leopold  and  Maurice,  had 
been  invited.  They  were  furious  at  my  marriage,  for  they  had 
always  flattered  themselves  that  I  should  yet  marry  the  Mar- 
grave of  Schwcdt.  Prince  Henry  was  a  first-rate  shot,  and  had 
already  killed  several  deer,  when  an  inexperienced  loader  gave 
him  his  rifle  at  full-cock.  The  rifle  went  off  as  the  prince  took 
it  into  his  hand,  and  the  ball  grazed  the  king's  temple.  The 
Prince  of  Anhalt  made  a  great  fuss  about  this  unfortunate  oc- 
currence ;  and  Prince  Leopold  said  quite  loud,  so  that  Prince 
Henry  should  hear  it,  that  such  dangerous  shots  ought  at  once 
to  be  shot  down.  Prince  Henry  answered  him  very  sharply, 
and  there  is  no  knowing  how  far  matters  might  have  gone  had 
not  the  Prince  of  Bevcrn  and  Seckendorf  interfered  and  effect- 
ed a  reconciliation,  The  king,  meanwhile,  had  taken  no  notice 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         193 

whatever  of  the  affair,  and  when  the  shooting  was  over  we  all 
continued  our  way  to  Charlottenburg. 

That  afternoon  the  queen  assumed  a  new  character.  I  do 
not  know  whether  she  wished  to  give  us  a  private  representa- 
tion :  anyhow,  if  it  was  so,  she  gave  me  very  little  pleasure  by 
it.  She  began  to  examine  the  hereditary  prince  in  his  studies. 
"  Do  you  know  ancient  and  modern  history  ?"  she  asked,  "  also 
geography,  mathematics,  philosophy,  painting,  and  music  ?" 
The  prince  at  first  answered  my  mother  with  a  very  laconic 
"  Yes  "  and  "  No ;"  but  when  he  observed  that  she  questioned 
him  as  she  would  a  child,  he  said,  laughingly,  "  Yes,  and  I  also 
know  my  Catechism  and  my  A  B  C."  This  answer  discon- 
certed the  queen  so  much  that  she  put  no  further  questions  to 
him. 

After  spending  a  few  days  at  Charlottenburg  we  returned  to 
Berlin.  The  great  control  my  mother  exercised  in  the  king's 
presence  over  her  fury  at  my  marriage  brought  on  an  attack  of 
fever.  During  the  three  weeks  which  her  illness  lasted  I  nev- 
er left  her  for  a  moment.  I  tried  in  every  way  in  my  power 
to  regain  her  affection,  but  in  vain.  She  was  no  longer  my  ten- 
der mother;  all  her  love  for  me  had  turned  to  hate,  of  which 
she  gave  me  daily  proofs.  I  often  dined  with  her  ladies  and 
Prince  Henry  in  the  queen's  anteroom.  My  father  had  re- 
turned to  Potsdam,  and  all  the  other  foreign  princes  had  left 
Berlin.  While  we  were  at  dinner  the  queen  had  me  watched 
to  observe  whether  I  spoke  to  the  prince.  She  was,  however, 
unable  to  find  any  cause  for  reproach.  Prince  Henry  has 
often  told  me  since  in  what  despair  he  was,  and  how  on  several 
occasions  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  breaking  off  our  mar- 
riage, had  not  M.  de  Voit  prevented  him.  Indeed,  he  was 
much  to  be  pitied ;  everybody  treated  him  ill,  whatever  he  did 
was  found  fault  with,  and  he  was  teased  and  plagued  all  day 
long. 

When  my  mother  had  recovered,  the  king  came  to  Berlin 
for  a  few  days  on  his  way  to  Prussia.  He  announced  to  the 
13 


194        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

queen  that  on  his  return  in  six  weeks,  he  wished  my  marriage 
to  be  solemnized.  He  would  therefore  give  her  the  money  she 
was  to  spend  on  my  trousseau.  The  queen  said  it  was  impos- 
sible for  my  wedding  to  take  place  then.  The  time  was  too 
short,  the  tradespeople  would  not  be  able  to  get  their  goods, 
and  unless  a  miracle  were  worked  things  could  not  be  settled 
in  such  a  hurry.  Owing  to  my  mother's  urgent  representa- 
tions, the  king  consented  to  postpone  my  wedding  till  Novem- 
ber. He  told  the  queen  to  make  Prince  Henry's  stay  as  pleas- 
ant as  possible  to  him,  and  above  all  things  to  treat  me  kindly. 
The  queen  upon  this  suddenly  changed  her  whole  behavior. 
She  was  more  than  amiable  to  the  prince,  caressed  him,  and 
kept  assuring  him  of  her  friendship,  and  of  the  great  pleasure 
it  was  to  her  to  have  him  as  son-in-law.  Me  she  continued  to 
ill-use,  as  heretofore.  Not  a  day  passed  without  my  shedding 
bitter  tears.  Poor  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  too,  had  to 
endure  much.  The  queen  reproached  her  constantly  with  be- 
ing the  cause  of  my  submission  to  the  king's  will.  One  day 
she  even  said  to  me,  "  Well,  and  if  Mademoiselle  von  Sonns- 
feld had  been  punished,  would  it  have  been  such  a  great  mis- 
fortune? You  would  still  have  been  able  to  become  a  queen." 
I  longed  to  say  to  my  mother,  if  I  had  dared,  that  I  would 
rather  lose  a  thousand  crowns  than  lose  one  person  whom  I 
had  reason  to  love  and  respect.  Such  sentiments  were,  how- 
ever, not  the  fashion,  and  were  looked  on  as  weakness.  I 
therefore  let  my  silence  be  my  only  answer.  My  position  was 
really  a  very  sad  one.  Even  the  most  unsympathetic  must 
have  felt  pity  for  me.  I  might  well  have  exclaimed : 

"  Mes  maux  ont-ils  touch6 
Les  coeurs  nes  pour  la  haine  !"* 

When  Grumkow  learned  through  Ramen  how  my  mother 
was  incessantly  trying  to  break  off  my  marriage,  and  begin 

*  "  Hearts  born  to  bate — 

E'en  these  my  woes  have  touched  1" 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         195 

fresh  negotiations  with  England,  he  naturally  feared  that  the 
constant  ill-treatment  I  received  would  drive  me  into  submis- 
sion to  the  queen.  He  therefore  determined  to  outwit  her. 
He  turned  for  help  to  M.  de  Sastot,  who  was  the  queen's 
chamberlain,  whom  I  have  had  occasion  to  mention  before. 
Grumkow  bade  Sastot  tell  the  queen  that  the  king  repented  of 
having  betrothed  me  to  the  Prince  of  Baireuth ;  that  he  did 
not  like  him,  and  intended  to  break  off  the  marriage  on  his 
return  to  Berlin,  and  to  marry  me  to  the  Duke  of  Weissenfels, 
whom  he  would  make  field -marshal  in  his  army;  that  he 
(Grumkow)  had  endeavored  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  ward  off 
this  blow,  but  feared  that  there  was  no  hope  of  doing  so.  This 
stroke  of  Grumkow's  succeeded  perfectly.  The  queen  found 
it  was,  after  all,  best  and  wisest  to  take  Prince  Henry's  part, 
and  to  support  him.  She  desired  me  to  be  more  friendly 
towards  him,  because,  she  said,  she  would  rather  die  than  see  me 
married  to  the  Duke  of  Weissenfels. 

This  period  of  comparative  peace  did  not  last  long.  Soon 
after  my  father's  return  from  Prussia  the  queen  discovered 
that  Grumkow  had  tricked  her.  It  is  true  the  king  did  not 
approve  of  Prince  Henry's  refined  manners.  He  would  rather 
have  had  a  son-in-law  that  cared  only  for  wine  and  soldiers. 
He  made  the  poor  prince  drunk  every  day,  "  to  test  his  char- 
acter," as  he  said,  "  and  accustom  him  to  drink."  Yes,  the 
king  even  complained  to  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  that  the 
prince  was  too  effeminate — a  man  without  sense,  whose  manners 
irritated  him.  As  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  had  such  speeches 
repeated  to  them  daily,  they  feared  that  in  the  end  the  king 
might  really  take  a  dislike  to  the  Prince  of  Baireutb,  and  they 
advised  him  to  ask  to  be  appointed  colonel  of  a  regiment.  It 
was  the  only  way,  they  told  him,  of  winning  the  king's  favor 
and  securing  his  marriage.  The  English  did  not  cease  to  mur- 
mur at  the  mistaken  measures  adopted  by  their  king.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  was  in  despair  at  having  lost  me,  and  was 
moving  heaven  and  earth  to  get  my  marriage  broken  off. 


'196         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

They  knew,  Grumlcow  and  Seckendorf  said,  that  there  were  no 
other  means  of  frustrating  the  threatened  difficulties.  Prince 
Henry  was  in  a  great  difficulty.  His  father,  the  Margrave,  who 
was  a  very  obstinate  man,  had  never  allowed  a  son  to  enter 
the  military  service.  In  order  to  prevent  it,  he  had  given  up 
two  imperial  regiments  which  had  been  raised  by  Margrave 
George  William,  on  condition  that  his  second  son  was  to  Lave 

c7> 

one  and  General  Philippi  the  other.  After  due  consideration, 
Prince  Henry  of  Baireuth  determined  to  follow  Grumkow  and 
Seckendorf  s  advice,  and  to  ask  the  king  for  a  regiment.  The 
king  granted  his  request  a  few  days  later,  and  made  him  a  pres- 
ent of  a  beautiful  gold-mounted  sword,  almost  too  heavy  to 
lift. 

All  this  gossip  annoyed  me  very  much.  I  knew  the  king  t 
too  well,  and  was  aware  that  he  considered  all  those  who  were 
in  his  service  his  slaves.  I  was  sure  he  would  treat  the  hered- 
itary prince  in  the  same  manner  as  he  did  my  brothers  and 
the  Princes  of  the  Blood,  who  had  no  distinction  beyond  their 
military  rank.  My  surmises  were  correct ;  for,  no  sooner  had 
the  king  returned  to  Potsdam,  than  he  let  the  prince  know  that 
he  had  best  join  his  regiment,  which  was  garrisoned  in  Pase- 
walk,  a  small  town  in  Pomerama.  The  prince  was  obliged  to 
obey,  and  left  Berlin  a  few  days  after  the  king.  He  was  very 
miserable,  and  poured  forth  many  lamentations  to  me  about 
our  separation.  He  also  said  how  wretched  the  fear  that  I 
disliked  him  made  him,  for  he  could  imagine  nothing  else  from 
the  cold  manner  in  which  I  treated  him.  He  said  he  felt  most 
deeply  how  unworthy  he  was  of  the  honor  done  him  by  the 
king,  but  he  did  nevertheless  deserve  it  on  account  of  the  life- 
long devotion  he  would  display  for  me.  He  kissed  my  hands 
over  and  over  again,  and  when  I  did  not  answer  him  he  im- 
plored me  to  be  candid  with  him.  It  would  cause  him  utter 
despair,  he  said,  if  he  made  me  unhappy.  If,  however,  he  was 
not  repugnant  to  me,  then  he  hoped  I  would  not  listen  to  any 
gossip  against  him  in  his  absence.  He  entreated  me  to  answer 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BATREUTH.         197 

him.  He  had  tears  in  his  eyes  as  he  spoke,  and  was  very  deep- 
ly affected.  I  was  in  great  perplexity  how  to  reply,  but  at  last 
told  the  prince  I  was  well-intentioned  to  him,  and  appreciated 
his  worth  too  much  to  fail  in  my  duty  towards  him.  I  told 
him  he  could  set  his  mind  quite  at  rest  on  that  point ;  "  but,"  I 
added,  u  I  am  sorry  you  have  entered  the  army.  Had  you 
asked  my  advice  it  would  never  have  happened."  Prince  Hen- 
ry replied,  "  I  was  threatened  with  the  loss  of  you,  and  would 
rather  have  accepted  the  hardest  conditions  in  the  world,  and 
served  in  every  regiment  than  have  risked  such  a  misfortune." 
The  queen,  who  was  walking  in  the  avenues  of  Montbijou, 
where  the  prince  and  I  were,  put  an  end  to  the  conversation 
by  approaching  us  with  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld. 

Madame  von  Konnken,  mistress  of  the  robes,  being  probably 
bored  by  an  evening  at  the  dinner-table,  sent  for  some  sweet- 
meats from  her  house.  These  were  in  the  shape  of  hearts,  and 
contained  little  verses.  Everybody  took  one  of  these  sugar- 
plums, and  gave  it  to  a  companion.  Prince  Henry  gave  me 
one,  which  he  broke  in  my  hand.  The  queen  said  this  was 
unheard  of.  "I  do  not  recognize  you  any  more,"  she  said. 
"  Since  your  hateful  marriage  is  settled,  you  have  neither  shame 
nor  modesty.  I  blushed  for  you  yesterday  when  the  prince 
broke  that  heart  in  your  hand.  Such  familiarities  are  not  prop- 
er. The  prince  ought  to  know  what  respect  he  owes  you."  I 
ventured  to  reply  that  I  had  not  thought  the  matter  serious — the 
less  so  as  he  had  done  just  the  same  to  my  sister  Charlotte,  and 
she  had  not  been  blamed  for  allowing  it.  However,  I  promised 
it  should  not  happen  again.  My  answer  by  no  means  pacified 
the  queen,  who  continued  scolding  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld 
about  my  behavior. 

In  a  fortnight's  time  we  went  to  Wusterhausen.  A  descrip- 
tion of  this  celebrated  place  will  not  be  amiss  here.  The  king 
had,  with  the  greatest  labor,  succeeded  in  raising  a  mound  which 
so  well  shut  out  the  view  of  the  Castle  that  you  never  caught 
sight  of  it  till  you  were  close  upon  it.  The  Castle  consisted  of 


198        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

the  main  building,  the  chief  point  of  interest  in  which  was  a 
curious  old  tower,  which  had  served  as  a  refuge  for  the  robbers 
that  had  built  the  Castle,  and  to  whom  it  had  belonged.  The 
Castle  was  surrounded  by  a  moat  and  ramparts.  The  water  in 
the  moat  was  as  black  as  the  Styx,  and  certainly  could  not  be 
compared  to  lavender-water.  A  bridge  built  over  the  moat  led 
to  the  Castle.  There  were  two  wings  to  the  main  building, 
each  guarded  by  two  black  and  two  white  eagles.  The  sentries 
consisted  of  ten  or  twelve  large  bears,  who  walked  about  on 
their  hind-legs,  their  front  paws  having  been  cut  off.  In  the 
middle  of  the  court-yard  was  a  grass-plot,  on  which  a  fountain 
had  been  made  with  great  trouble.  The  fountain  was  surround- 
ed by  an  iron  railing,  and  steps  led  up  to  it.  It  was  near  this 
pleasant  spot  that  the  king  had  his  "  Tabagie."  My  sisters  and 
I,  with  our  suites,  were  lodged  in  two  rooms  which  resembled 
a  hospital  far  more  than  rooms  in  a  palace.  We  always  dined 
in  a  tent,  whatever  the  weather  might  be.  Sometimes  when  it 
rained  we  sat  up  to  our  ankles  in  water.  The  dinner  always 
numbered  twenty-four  persons,  half  of  whom  had  to  starve  ;  for 
there  were  never  more  than  six  dishes  served,  and  these  were  so 
meagre  that  one  hungry  being  might  easily  have  eaten  them  up 
alone.  We  had  to  spend  the  whole  day  shut  up  in  the  queen's 
room,  and  were  not  allowed  to  get  any  fresh  air,  even  when  the 
weather  was  fine.  It  was  a  wonder  we  did  not  get  bilious  from 
sitting  in-doors  all  day  long,  and  hearing  nothing  but  disagree- 
able speeches. 

Prince  Henry,  of  Baireuth,  joined  us  a  few  days  later  at  this 
delightful  residence.  My  sister  paid  him  every  possible  atten- 
tion. She  had  thrown  off  the  mask,  and  showed  plainly  how 
much  she  hated  me.  She  constantly  irritated  the  queen  against 
rne,  but  tried  to  keep  her  on  good  terms  with  the  prince.  One 
day  when  the  queen  had  been  more  than  usually  unkind  to  me, 
and  I  was  very  sad  in  consequence,  she  asked  me  what  was  the 
reason  of  my  melancholy.  I  told  her  what  it  was,  and  added 
that  I  should  soon  die  if  this  treatment  went  on  much  longer. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        199 

"  What  a  fool  you  are  !"  my  sister  answered.  "  If  I  had  such  a 
charming  lover  as  you  have,  I  would  let  the  queen  grumble  as 
much  as  she  chose."  "  You  cannot  complain,"  I  said  in  reply  ; 
"  for  your  lover  is  just  as  charming,  and  then  you  have  no  wor- 
ries. I  am  teased  by  everybody,  and  even  the  king  deserts 
me."  Upon  this  my  sister  said,  in  a  most  coaxing  manner, 
"Very  well,  if  you  think  Prince  Charles  so  amiable,  let  us 
change  rings."  I  thought  it  was  said  in  joke,  so  I  answered, 
"  As  I  am  in  a  happy  state  of  indifference  at  present,  you  may 
have  both."  "  Well,  then,  give  me  the  ring,"  she  repeated.  I 
then  gave  her  my  betrothal  ring.  Upon  this  she  took  off  the 
ring  Prince  Charles  had  given  her,  and  hid  it  in  a  corner  of  the 
room.  Dinner-time  drew  near,  and  I  feared  that  the  king,  whose 
eyes  were  everywhere,  would  discover  that  I  had  not  my  ring 
on.  I  implored  her  to  give  it  me  back.  She  would  not  do  so, 
however,  and  kept  it  for  two  days.  As  neither  Mademoiselle 
von  Sonnsfeld  nor  I  could  do  anything  with  my  sister,  we  had 
to  ask  Ramen's  help.  She  told  the  queen  what  I  had  done, 
who  scolded  my  sister,  and  obliged  her  to  return  me  my  ring 
and  put  on  her  own  again.  She  never  forgave  me  for  this.  I 
had  only  to  turn  my  head  towards  the  side  of  the  room  where 
Prince  Henry  was  standing,  and  she  at  once  told  the  queen  I 
was  making  eyes  at  him. 

Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  were  persuaded  that  England 
would  make  one  more  attempt  to  prevent  my  marriage  with 
Prince  Henry,  of  Baireuth.  We  were  at  Makhenau,  a  pretty 
country-seat  not  far  from  Wusterhausen,  when  one  fine  day  a 
Hessian,  Colonel  Donep,  was  announced.  The  King  of  Eng- 
land, who  did  not  wish  to  expose  himself  to  any  more  refusals, 
had  intrusted  these  fresh  negotiations  to  Prince  William,  of 
Hesse.  He  had  sent  Colonel  Donep  to  my  father  to  make  some 
very  acceptable  proposals  to  him.  Had  my  father  wished  to 
cheat  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf,  nothing  at  this  moment  could 
have  prevented  him  from  doing  so.  The  whole  matter  was 
kept  so  secret  that  they  would  never  have  heard  of  it  had 


200        MEMOIKS    OP   THE   MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTIT. 

not  my  father  himself  told  them.  The  king  was  in  a  dreadful 
temper  during  the  whole  week  we  spent  at  Makenhau.  The 
queen  had  to  bear  the  brunt  of  it.  He  quarrelled  with  her 
from  morning  till  night,  and  then  I  became  the  victim  of  my 
mother's  anger.  In  addition  to  this,  she  was  inhuman  enough 
to  make  me  go  out  when  I  was  very  ill  with  high  fever  and  an 
abscess  in  my  throat.  When  the  abscess  broke  I  got  better. 
I  had  caught  cold  at  a  representation  given  by  tight- rope 
dancers  in  the  court-yard  at  Makenhau.  The  king  and  queen 
looked  on  at  it  from  the  windows  of  their  rooms,  and  my  sis- 
ters, Prince  Henry,  and  I  from  another.  The  prince  looked 
very  sad,  and  said  to  me,  "  To-morrow  my  fate  will  be  decided." 
I  was  much  surprised  at  this  remark,  but  did  not  venture  to  ask 
him  what  he  meant.  He  then  continued,  "  Colonel  Donep  is 
come  with  new  proposals  from  the  King  of  England.  Till  now 
it  has  been  a  secret  even  from  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf,  but 
the  king  told  them  this  morning.  They  have  made  the  strong- 
est representations  to  him  on  the  subject,  but  he  is  still  unde- 
cided what  to  do."  This  piece  of  news  so  petrified  me  that 
I  was  unable  to  answer  him.  That  same  evening  Donep  had 
the  queen  secretly  informed  of  his  mission  and  his  hopes. 
These,  and  the  sad  demeanor  of  Prince  Henry,  made  her  flatter 
herself  that  my  marriage  with  the  Prince  of  Wales  might  still 
be  brought  about.  She  was  in  the  most  amiable  of  moods  that 
evening,  and  made  herself  more  than  agreeable  to  Prince  Hen- 
ry. I  was  in  quite  a  different  frame  of  mind.  I  had  taken  a 
great  liking  to  him,  and  was  tired  of  being  Fate's  plaything.  I 
therefore  determined  that  nothing  should  make  me  break  with 
him. 

Next  day  we  went  to  Wusterhausen.  The  queen  at  once 
called  me  into  her  boudoir  to  tell  me  all  the  news  of  the  day. 
"  Your  engagement  will  be  broken  off  to-day,"  she  told  me, 
"  and  to-morrow,  I  trust,  Prince  Henry  will  take  his  departure. 
I  should  hope  you  have  not  such  low  taste  as  to  prefer  him  to 
the  Prince  of  Wales."  As  I  made  no  reply,  she  said,  "  I  insist 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        201 

on  you  telling  me  what  you  think  about  it.  You  must  decide, 
for  I  have  asked  you  with  a  purpose.  Do  you  understand  me?" 
While  the  queen  was  speaking  to  me  I  had  called  on  all  the 
saints  in  Paradise  for  help.  I  do  not  know  if  they  in  truth 
came  to  my  aid,  or  if  my  good  angel  inspired  me ;  but  I  took 
courage  and  replied,  "  Your  Majesty's  wishes  have  ever  met 
with  my  ready  obedience.  When  I  submitted  to  the  king's 
orders  and  accepted  Prince  Henry,  I  did  so  for  the  purpose  of 
restoring  peace  in  the  family,  to  spare  your  Majesty  more  sor- 
row and  trouble,  and  to  have  my  brother  restored  to  liberty. 
At  that  time  I  did  not  know  the  Prince  of  Baireuth,  so  that 
affection  for  him  did  not  influence  my  actions.  Now,  however, 
that  I  feel  the  greatest  respect  and  esteem  for  him,  I  should 
consider  it  a  most  unworthy  act  on  my  part  were  I  to  break  off 
my  marriage  with  him.  His  character^  besides,  gives  not  the 
slightest  cause  for  complaint."  I  had  scarcely  finished  speak- 
ing when  the  queen  overwhelmed  me  with  reproaches,  and 
treated  me  without  the  slightest  consideration.  I  cried  most 
bitterly,  for  I  felt  myself  once  again  the  victim  of  circum- 
stances, and  foresaw  no  end  to  my  sufferings.  Yet  I  knew  I 
must  control  my  emotion  in  the  king's  presence.  He  had 
scarcely  spoken  to  me  since  my  engagement — indeed,  barely 
looked  at  me.  During  dinner  my  father  seemed  in  a  very  bad 
temper.  In  the  evening  when  Prince  Henry  came  as  usual  to 
supper  he  found  me  alone  in  the  room.  He  rushed  up  to  me 
in  high  spirits,  saying,  "All  goes  well!  Colonel  Donep  leaves 
to-morrow ;  the  king  has  refused  all  his  proposals."  I  pre- 
tended to  be  quite  unmoved  by  this  news,  but  it  had  restored 
peace  to  my  poor,  troubled  heart.  A  few  hours  later  the  queen 
was  informed,  to  her  great  dismay,  of  the  total  failure  of  the 
English  envoy.  I  had,  as  usual,  to  bear  the  brunt  of  her  anger. 
The  king  had  invited  to  my  wedding  the  Margrave  of  An- 
spach  and  my  sister.  She  was  expected  to  arrive  at  Wuster- 
hausen  in  a  week.  The  king  rode  to  meet  her,  and  on  her  ar- 
rival immediately  led  her  to  the  queen's  rooms.  We  scarcely 


202        MEMOIRS    OF    THE   MARGRAVINE    OF    fiAlREUTH. 

knew  her  again.  She  had  been  beautiful,  but  had  now  com- 
pletely lost  all  traces  of  her  beauty.  Her  complexion  had  be- 
come faded,  and  her  whole  manner,  too,  was  altered.  The  qnecn 
had  always  disliked  my  sister,  who  had  become  a  great  favorite 
with  iny  father  during  my  disgrace.  My  father  caressed  her 
in  every  possible  way,  and  incessantly  called  her  his  "  dear 
Royal  Highness."  The  queen,  who  could  not  bear  more  atten- 
tion to  be  paid  another  person  than  to  herself,  was  very  much 
put  out,  but  did  not  dare  show  it.  My  sister  was  most  affec- 
tionate towards  me,  and  I  did  all  I  could  to  show  her  my  joy 
at  seeing  her  again.  After  dinner  my  father  led  ray  sister  to 
her  room,  if  you  can  call  a  little  attic  tinder  the  roof  by  that 
name.  On  her  being  told  that  her  maid  had  not  yet  arrived, 
my  father  pointed  to  me  and  said,  "  Your  sister  can  act  as  your 
maid  ;  it  is  about  all  she  is  fit  for."  I  was  struck  dumb  by  this 
remark ;  I  had  not  deserved  to  be  treated  thus,  yet  I  controlled 
myself,  and  left  my  sister  soon  after  the  king  did.  When  I 
reached  my  room  I  burst  into  tears,  for  I  was  bitterly  hurt. 
The  king  had  no  right  to  put  my  sister  before  me,  for  I  was 
the  eldest  of  all  my  sisters.  The  queen  was  extremely  angry 
at  it  also,  but  her  representations  on  the  subject  were  of  no  use. 
A  fortnight  after  my  sister's  arrival  we  all  returned  to  Ber- 
lin. The  king  had  invited  the  Duchess  of  Saxe-Meiningen, 
the  daughter  of  the  Elector  Frederick  William,  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  and  Prince  Charles  of  Bevern,  and  the  Margrave  of 
Baireuth  (my  father-in-law)  to  attend  my  wedding.  The  Duch- 
ess of  Meiningen  was  the  first  to  arrive.  She  had  had  three 
husbands — the  Duke  of  Courland,  the  Margrave  Christian  Ernst 
of  Baireuth,  and  she  was  now  widow  of  the  Duke  of  Meini*- 
gen.  She  had  been  most  attractive  in  her  youth,  and  was  a 
first-rate  actress.  Her  talent  in  the  personification  of  different 
characters  seemed  to  be  inborn.  She  had  a  very  round  face, 
and  was  so  stout  that  she  could  scarcely  walk.  She  showed 
plainly  that  she  was  no  enemy  to  good  living.  Her  behavior 
was  bold  and  vulgar.  Although  she  was  sixty  years  old  she 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREtTTH.        203 

dressed  like  a  young  girl,  which  made  her  look  very  absurd. 
Her  dress  was  covered  with  precious  stones  of  all  descriptions. 
The  queen  was  obliged  to  pay  her  the  first  visit.  As  she  was 
starting  she  desired  me  to  let  myself  be  told  as  soon  as  she  re- 
turned, so  that  I  might  at  once  come  to  her.  I  did  as  I  was 
bid.  It  was  late,  and  my  mother  was  that  evening  holding  a 
reception.  When  I  joined  the  queen  in  her  apartments  I  found 
her  engaged  in  entertaining  her  guests.  As  soon  as  she  saw 
me  she  asked  me  where  I  had  been.  I  answered,  "  With  the 
duchess."  "  What !"  the  queen  exclaimed,  "  and  who  allowed 
you  to  go  there  ?"  "  It  was  by  your  Majesty's  own  orders  I 
went  there,"  I  replied.  "I  never  told  you  anything  of  the 
kind,"  the  queen  retorted,  angrily.  "  I  never  ordered  you  to 
do  things  which  are  beneath  you.  For  some  time  past  you 
seem  to  take  a  delight  in  such  things,  so  that  it  does  not  aston- 
ish me."  She  gave  me  this  reprimand  in  a  loud  voice  before 
all  her  guests.  Everybody  found  fault  with  the  queen,  and  si- 
lently pitied  me.  I  was  almost  beside  myself,  but  was  obliged 
to  retain  my  composure. 

The  king  reached  Berlin  at  the  same  time  as  the  Duke  and 
Duchess  of  Bevern  and  their  son.  The  Margrave  of  Baireuth 
arrived  shortly  afterwards.  As  I  do  not  wish  to  interrupt  the 
course  of  my  narrative,  I  will  defer  my  description  of  him  till 
some  future  time.  He  was  presented  to  me  in  the  queen's 
presence,  and  paid  me  many  compliments  and  gave  me  endless 
assurances  of  his  friendship.  As  I  was  to  be  married  in  three 
days,  the  queen  allowed  the  Margrave  and  Prince  Henry  to  pay 
me  visits  whenever  they  wished  ;  but  they  were  unable  to  take 
much  advantage  of  this  permission,  as  I  was  nearly  all  day  with 
my  mother.  As  I  was  able  to  speak  with  them  for  only  a  few 
moments  of  an  evening  in  my  rooms  in  the  presence  of  num- 
bers of  other  people,  I  cannot  say  that  I  grew  more  closely  ac- 
quainted with  them.  On  the  20th  I  went  in  dishabille  to  the 
king.  He  told  me  that  I  should  have  to  renounce  the  Allodial 
Estates,  as  all  the  princesses  who  married  had  to  do  so.  I  had 


204        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGEAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

already  been  informed  on  this  point,  so  that  it  did  not  surprise 
me.  I  followed  the  king  and  queen  into  a  room,  where  I  found 
the  Margrave  and  his  son,  as  well  as  Gruinkow,  Thulemeier,  and 
Podewils.  There  was  also  present  M.  von  Voit,  the  minister 
from  Baireuth.  They  read  me  the  declaration  and  the  oath  I 
was  to  take.  It  was  as  follows :  I  renounced  all  the  Allodial 
Estates  as  long  as  any  of  my  brothers  or  their  descendants  lived, 
but  in  the  event  of  their  all  dying  I  re-entered  on  my  rights  of 
succession  to  all,  excepting  to  Prince  Henry's  claims  on  Julich 
and  Berg.  I  at  once  took  the  required  oath.  Then  followed 
another  declaration,  which  surprised  me  more  than  I  can  say — 
the  more  so  as  I  was  quite  unprepared  for  it.  It  was  this :  that 
I  gave  up  all  claims  to  any  of  the  queen's  fortune  in  case  she 
died  without  making  a  will.  Instead  of  answering  with  the 
accustomed  oath,  "So  help  me  God,"  I  remained  quite  dumb. 

The  king,  who  had  never  taken  his  eyes  off  me  the  whole 
time,  now  approached  me,  and  embracing  me,  said,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  "  My  dear  child,  you  must  agree  to  this  hard  con- 
dition. Your  sister,  the  Margravine  of  Anspach,  had  to  do  the 
same.  It  is  merely  a  form,  and  your  mother  is  at  perfect  lib- 
erty to  make  a  will  whenever  she  chooses."  These  words  com- 
forted me  somewhat.  I  kissed  the  king's  hands,  and  told  him 
that,  as  he  had  promised  solemnly  to  provide  for  me,  I  could 
not  believe  that  he  would  wish  to  treat  me  so  harshly.  My  fa- 
ther changed  color,  and  said  that  there  was  no  time  for  argu- 
ment. I  must  make  up  my  mind  and  sign  the  deed  of  renun- 
ciation with  good  grace,  or  else  he  would  force  me  to  do  so. 
All  this  was  said  in  a  low  voice.  The  king  then  led  me  to  a 
table,  where  I  affixed  my  signature  to  this  delightful  paper. 
My  father  now  thanked  me  most  lovingly  for  my  acquiescence 
to  his  wishes.  He  made  me  many  fine  promises,  none  of  which 
he  ever  intended  keeping,  any  more  than  I  did  the  oath  I  had 
been  forced  to  take.  After  this  we  went  to  dinner,  at  which 
no  one  was  present  except  the  king  and  queen,  my  two  eldest 
sisters,  the  Duchess  of  Bcvcrn,  :uid  Prince  Henry  of  Baireuth. 


MEMOIRS    OF    TUB    MAKGKAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         205 

The  other  princely  guests  had  received  invitations  to  dine  in 
the  town. 

After  dinner  I  began  my  toilet.  I  had  so  many  maids  to 
help  me,  with  the  queen  at  their  head,  that  one  undid  what  the 
other  had  just  done.  The  queen  tried  to  prolong  my  dressing 
in  every  way  she  could ;  I  never  understood  why.  At  last,  at 
the  end  of  four  hours,  and  after  the  king  had  sent  repeatedly 
to  hurry  me,  I  was  ready  dressed,  and  looked  like  a  mad-woman. 
I  had  a  diamond  crown  on  my  head,  from  which  twenty-four 
long  curls  hung  down.  They  dragged  my  head  so  that  I  could 
not  hold  it  straight.  My  court-dress  was  of  cloth  of  silver. 
The  train,  which  was  twelve  yards  long,  was  carried  by  two  of 
my  ladies  and  two  of  the  queen's.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonns- 
feld  had  that  day  been  appointed  Abbess  of  Wolmirstatten. 

We  all  went  to  the  state  -  rooms  of  the  Castle.  I  think  a 
short  description  of  them  will  not  be  out  of  place.  These 
state-rooms  consisted  of  a  suite  of  six  large  apartments,  which 
opened  into  a  large  room,  remarkable  for  its  structure  as  well 
as  for  the  beauty  of  its  decoration.  Out  of  this  you  went  into 
other  apartments,  which  finally  ended  in  a  long  gallery,  where 
pictures  by  celebrated  masters  were  hung.  Out  of  this  you 
passed  into  more  apartments,  which  again  opened  into  one  very 
large  room.  As  it  was  the  residence  of  a  king  there  is  nothing 
very  remarkable  in  this,  but  the  rich  silver  ornaments  which 
decorated  all  the  rooms  made  them  very  magnificent.  As  my 
father  had  seen  all  the  splendor  of  the  King  of  Poland  at  Dres- 
den, he  was  anxious  to  surpass  it  at  Berlin.  In  order  to  effect 
a  new  style  of  decoration,  he  had  ordered  a  number  of  looking- 
glasses  to  be  made.  They  were  from  six  to  seven  feet  high, 
and  so  heavy  that  twenty  men  could  scarcely  move  them.  Un- 
der each  looking-glass  stood  a  table,  at  which  twelve  people 
could  conveniently  dine.  The  sconces  on  the  wall  measured 
four  feet,  and  had  lights  fastened  to  them.  The  chandeliers 
were  worth  from  10,000  to  100,000  thalers.*  Both  these 

*  Oue  thousand  five  hundred  to  fifteen  thousand  pounds. 


206        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

large  rooms  had  buffets,  and  each  piece  of  plate  which  decorat- 
ed them  was  worth  not  less  than  12,000  thalers.*  Altar-can- 
dles had  to  be  used  in  all  the  rooms,  and  these  smoked  so  much 
that  all  the  ladies'  faces  and  dresses  were  covered  with  black. 
The  value  of  all  these  riches  was  estimated  at  6,000,000  tha- 
lers. f  In  the  last  of  these  large  rooms  the  marriage  ceremony 
was  to  take  place.  For  this  purpose  a  canopy  of  crimson  vel- 
vet with  a  gold  border  had  been  erected,  and  the  altar  -  table 
stood  beneath  it.  After  the  service  was  over,  three  salvos  were 
fired  outside  the  Castle.  All  the  envoys,  ministers,  those  of 
England  included,  and  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt,  had  received 
the  king's  commands  to  attend.  It  is  easily  to  be  imagined  that 
the  Margrave  of  Schwedt  looked  very  crestfallen,  and  scarcely 
knew  how  to  behave.  After  I  had  received  the  congratulations 
of  all  present,  I  had  to  sit  down  with  the  queen  under  a  canopy. 

Prince  Henry,  of  Baireuth,  then  opened  the  ball  with  my  sis- 
ter, the  Margravine  of  Anspach.  It  lasted  an  hour,  and  then 
we  all  went  to  supper.  I  presided  at  the  upper  end  of  the  ta- 
ble. The  king  sat  near  the  prince,  and  the  Margrave  of  Bai- 
reuth near  me.  My  father  took  great  pleasure  in  trying  to 
make  the  prince  drunk,  in  which,  however,  he  did  not  succeed. 
One  of  my  ladies  and  one  of  the  queen's  stood  the  whole  time 
behind  my  chair,  as  well  as  two  of  the  king's  gentlemen  and 
two  who  belonged  to  my  household.  One  of  the  former  was 
M.  von  Breiche  and  the  other  Major  Stacho.  The  other  two 
were  my  lord  chamberlain,  M.  von  Voit,  and  my  chamberlain, 
Von  Bindemann. 

After  the  dinner,  which  lasted  two  hours,  we  went  back  to 
the  first  of  the  largest  rooms,  and  here  the  polonaise  ( Fackel- 
tanz)J  took  place.  This  dance  is  performed  with  great  state. 

*  One  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds. 

f  Nine  hundred  thousand  pounds. 

J  This  polonaise  is  still  performed  in  exactly  the  same  manner  at  all 
royal  weddings  at  Berlin,  and  the  whole  ceremonial  observed  now  is  almost 
the  same  as  that  described  by  the  Margravine. — Note  by  Translator. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        207 

All  the  Court  officials  walk  in  front  with  long  wands.  The 
lieutenant-generals  follow  them  carrying  torches,  then  come  the 
bride  and  bridegroom,  who  walk  twice  round  the  room.  After 
this  the  bride  dances  in  turn  with  each  prince  present,  and  then 
the  bridegroom  takes  her  place  and  dances  with  each  princess. 
After  the  polonaise  was  at  an  end  I  was  escorted,  according  to 
the  prescribed  ceremonial,  to  my  room,  where  I  was  undressed, 
my  mother  assisting  me.  I  was  then  laid  on  a  crimson  satin  bed, 
and  all  the  royal  guests  and  the  ladies  from  the  town,  with  the 
exception  of  my  relations  of  Brunswick  and  Anspach,  took 
leave  of  me.  As  my  mother  bade  me  good-night  she  could  not 
resist  saying  some  very  unkind  things  to  me.  She  was  in  a 
state  of  utter  despair,  for  a  messenger  had  just  arrived  from 
England  bringing  such  advantageous  proposals  that,  had  they 
been  received  twenty-four  hours  sooner,  my  marriage  with  the 
Prince  of  Baireuth  would  certainly  have  been  broken  off. 

I  cannot  here  refrain  from  making  a  few  remarks  on  this 
subject.  It  will  be  remembered  that  on  the  day  of  my  be- 
trothal England  had  made  some  proposals  similar  to  those  re- 
ceived on  my  wedding-day.  I  have  always  had  my  suspicion 
that  these  steps  were  a  mistaken  policy  on  the  part  of  England. 
King  George  bad  never  cared  or  wished  for  this  marriage  for 
his  son.  He  wanted  a  daughter-in-law  who  was  not  clever, 
and  who  would  not  mix  herself  up  in  politics.  I  do  not  know 
whether  they  had  given  him  an  exaggerated  description  of  my 
mental  gifts.  Anyhow,  his  dislike  to  my  marriage  had  been 
fostered  by  his  fear  that,  having  been  brought  up  at  a  court  so 
full  of  intrigues  as  that  of  Berlin,  I  might  be  imbued  with  the 
same  principles.  But  whatever  may  have  been  the  reason,  the 
King  of  England  was  always  opposed  to  this  alliance.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  and  the  whole  nation,  on  the  other  hand,  were 
very  anxious  for  it.  In  order  to  relieve  the  state  of  tension 
existing  between  the  two  Courts,  King  George  had  thought  it 
advisable  to  make  the  aforesaid  proposals.  He  had,  however, 
worded  them  so  carefully  that  they  could  never  lead  to  any 


208        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGEAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

result.  I  have  since  learned  that  my  father  never  wished  the 
marriage  with  Prince  Henry,  of  Baireuth.  Nothing  but  the 
often-repeated  assurances  of  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  that 
this  marriage  was  the  only  means  of  obliging  the  King  of 
England  to  declare  himself  had  made  him  consent  to  it.  The 
Margrave  of  Baireuth  was  furious  at  his  son's  marriage,  partly 
from  jealousy  and  partly  from  other  reasons,  which  I  shall  men- 
tion later  on.  I  therefore  saw  myself  married  against  the  wishes 
of  the  king,  the  queen,  and  my  father-in-law,  and  yet  they  all 
three  acted  as  if  they  were  delighted  at  it.  When  I  reflect  on 
it  all,  I  must  admire  the  decrees  of  Fate,  and  my  philosophy  on 
the  subject  must  give  way  to  my  experience.  But  I  must  put 
an  end  to  my  moral  reflections ;  for  were  I  to  note  them  down, 
my  memoirs  would  be  contained  in  endless  folio  volumes. 

I  have  never  spoken  of  my  brother  since  I  was  set  free.  The 
king  had  designated  Kiistrin  as  his  prison,  and  to  punish  him 
still  further  my  father  would  not  allow  him  to  put  on  his  own 
uniform.  He  made  him  wear  a  plain  French  suit  of  clothes, 
which  the  king  looked  on  as  a  mark  of  shame.  My  brother  had 
this  suit  made  after  the  same  cut  as  that  which  Katt  wore  on  the 
day  of  his  execution.  The  king  ordered,  furthermore,  that  my 
brother  was  to  work  every  day  in  the  Finance  Department  as  a 
simple  lawyer's  clerk.  This  position  is  generally  given  to  young- 
men  who  wish  to  improve  their  minds.  When  they  have  served 
some  time  in  this  capacity  they  are  promoted.  This  post  is  also 
given  only  to  the  smaller  gentry  or  to  young  men  in  the  middle 
classes.  My  brother  and  I  sometimes  wrote  to  each  other, 
Major  Sonnsfeld  managing  the  correspondence  for  us.  I  had 
not  forgotten  the  promise  Grumkow  had  given  me,  in  the  king's 
name,  that  my  brother  should  be  set  entirely  free  soon  after 
my  marriage.  I  asked  Sastot  to  tell  Grumkow,  and  to  ask  him 
to  remind  the  king  that  he  must  keep  his  word.  Grumkow  let 
me  know  that  I  might  make  myself  quite  happy  on  this  point, 
as  he  would  make  it  his  especial  business  to  speak  with  the 
king  on  the  subject. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         209 

The  first  two  days  after  my  wedding  passed  by  quietly.  Of 
an  evening  we  went  to  play  at  cards  in  tho  queen's  rooms.  My 
mother's  temper  grew  worse  and  worse;  she  could  no  longer 
bear  me.  The  Margrave  of  Anspach  was  a  very  ill-bred  young 
prince,  and  wished  to  ingratiate  himself  with  my  mother  at  our 
cost.  He  told  her  every  kind  of  gossip  about  Prince  Henry,  of 
Baireuth,  and  only  added  fuel  to  the  fire.  The  principalities 
of  Anspach  and  Baireuth  are  close  to  each  other,  and  have  un- 
fortunately always  been  at  enmity,  which  was  the  more  to  be 
regretted,  as,  failing  male  heirs  in  the  one,  the  succession  then 
falls  on  the  other.  Anspach  was  much  vexed  at  the  alliance 
Baireuth  had  just  made — not  on  political  grounds,  but  merely 
from  jealousy. 

On  the  23d  the  king  gave  a  ball  in  the  state-rooms  of  the 
Castle.  As  I  was  very  fond  of  dancing,  I  gave  myself  quite 
up  to  the  pleasure  of  the  occasion.  Grumkow,  with  whom  I 
was  dancing,  said  several  times  to  me,  "  Your  Royal  Highness 
is  so  engrossed  by  the  ball  that  you  do  not  observe  what  is 
taking  place."  At  last  I  asked  him  what  there  was  to  see. 
"  Goodness  me,"  he  answered,  "  what  has  come  to  you  to-day  ? 
Go  and  embrace  your  brother,  who  is  standing  there."  I  was 
so  overcome  with  joy  that,  had  Grumkow  not  supported  me,  I 
should  have  fallen  to  the  ground.  At  last  I  found  this  be- 
loved brother  standing  near  my  mother,  who  was  playing  at 
cards.  I  clasped  him  in  my  arms.  I  was  quite  beside  my- 
self with  happiness.  I  laughed,  I  cried,  and  talked  the  most 
utter  nonsense.  As  soon  as  the  first  moments  were  over  I 
threw  myself  at  my  father's  feet,  and  in  my  deep  and  heartfelt 
gratitude  said  so  many  touching  and  tender  words  that  he  be- 
gan to  cry.  Upon  this  the  whole  company  also  began  to 
weep,  and  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  pocket-handker- 
chiefs, and  the  scene  resembled  the  most  affecting  situation  in  a 
tragedy.  My  brother  was  so  much  altered  that  I  should  scarce- 
ly have  known  him  again.  He  had  not  grown  taller,  but  his 
grief  had  made  him  very  stout.  His  former  slimness  of  figure 
14 


210        MEMOIKS    OF   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

had  quite  disappeared.  He  was  very  broad  in  the  shoulders, 
and  his  head  seemed  sunk  between  them  ;  he  was  no  longer  so 
handsome  as  he  had  been.  I  could  not  cease  caressing  him  in 
my  joy  at  his  return.  He  answered  me,  however,  rather  cold- 
ly, and  said  but  little.  I  presented  the  hereditary  prince  to 
him,  but  he  did  not  speak  to  him.  This  behavior  seemed 
strange  to  me,  and  I  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  it.  I  did  not 
dare  ask  him  why  he  acted  thus,  as  the  king  was  watching  us 
narrowly.  The  queen  seemed  rather  pleased  to  see  my  broth- 
er again,  but  her  happiness  in  no  way  resembled  mine.  My 
mother  never  loved  any  of  her  children.  She  cared  for  them 
only  as  they  served  her  ambitious  purposes.  The  gratitude  my 
brother  owed  me  for  effecting  the  reconciliation  with  the  king 
spoiled  her  pleasure.  If  she  alone  had  been  the  cause  of  it, 
she  would  have  behaved  quite  differently. 

At  last  we  went  to  dinner,  to  which  four  hundred  couples 
sat  down.  They  were  mostly  persons  of  good  birth.  My  fa- 
ther was  not  present;  he  dined  with  iny  brother.  When  din- 
ner was  over  Grumkow  came  to  me  and  told  me  the  crown 
prince  was  spoiling  his  own  game  by  treating  me  so  coldly. 
His  behavior  displeased  the  king,  he  said,  because  he  could 
but  take  one  of  two  things  for  granted  —  either  the  crown 
prince  was  exercising  great  control  over  himself,  which  was 
very  wounding  to  the  king,  as  it  showed  he  mistrusted  his  fa- 
ther; or  he  was  quite  indifferent,  and  that  seemed  to  denote 
no  very  good  heart.  "  Your  Royal  Highness  has,  on  the  other 
hand,  conducted  yourself  admirably.  You  have  shown  your 
warm,  affectionate  fee-lings  without  reserve,  and  this  has  delight- 
ed the  king.  Go  on  as  you  are  doing.  Speak  quite  candidly 
with  the  crown  prince,  and  tell  him  to  be  open  and  straightfor- 
ward in  his  behavior.  That  is  the  only  way  to  preserve  peace 
in  the  family."  Grumkow's  advice  was  good.  The  ball  now 
recommenced.  I  told  my  brother  of  Grumkow's  remarks,  and 
ventured,  too,  to  reproach  him  secretly  for  his  altered  manner 
towards  myself.  My  brother  would  not  allow  this,  and  said  he 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        211 

was  just  the  same  as  ever,  but  that  he  had  his  own  reasons  for 
behaving  as  he  did.  The  next  day  the  king  sent  the  crown 
prince  to  see  me.  He  remained  a  whole  hour.  We  had  much 
to  say,  giving  our  respective  accounts  of  all  that  had  occurred 
since  we  had  parted.  He  was  very  reserved  with  me,  and  all 
his  assurance  of  affection  and  friendship  seemed  forced.  He 
looked  several  times  at  Prince  Henry,  and  said  a  few  formal 
words  to  him.  I  could  not  make  him  out ;  he  seemed  to  me 
to  be  no  longer  that  beloved  brother  who  had  cost  me  so  many 
tears,  and  for  whom  I  had  sacrificed  so  much.  I  tried  to  hide 
what  I  felt,  and  to  be  the  same  as  ever  with  him.  The  king- 
gave  him  an  infantry  regiment,  and  returned  him  his  sword  and 
uniform.  He  also  gave  him  a  yearly  income,  and  settled  that 
he  was  to  live  at  Ruppin,  where  his  regiment  was  quartered. 

Several  balls  were  given  during  the  crown  prince's  stay  at 
Berlin,  and  on  the  other  evenings  cards  were  played  in  the 
queen's  apartments.  The  princes  had  always  to  accompany 
the  king  to  his  "  Tabagie,"  which  they  left  only  at  dinner-time 
to  join  the  queen.  I  have  already  mentioned  the  bad  feeling 
the  Margrave  of  Anspach  evinced  towards  my  husband,  Prince 
Henry.  Since  our  marriage  this  animosity  had  only  increased. 
The  Margrave  had  the  impertinence  to  let  drop,  one  evening  in 
the  "  Tabagie,"  some  remarks  on  a  subject  which  was  most 
painful  to  Prince  Henry.  It  concerned  his  mother,  the  Mar- 
gravine of  Baireuth.  She  was  a  princess  of  Holstein,  and  had 
been  separated  for  many  years  from  the  Margrave,  Prince  Hen- 
ry's father.  She  was  shut  up  in  a  fortress  in  Anspach,  and 
closely  guarded.  She  was  rather  mad,  and  had  in  her  time 
done  a  good  many  foolish  things.  None  of  these,  however, 
in  the  least  deserved  such  punishment.  Some  very  cruel  jokes 
about  his  mother's  adventures  were  enough  to  discompose 
Prince  Henry.  He  answered  them  by  saying  merely  that  he 
could  not  treat  these  jokes  as  they  deserved  in  the  king's  pres- 
ence, for  whom  he  had  so  great  a  respect.  He  would  bide  his 
time,  The  Duke  of  Bevern  and  his  son,  who  were  present,  at 


212         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

once  endeavored  to  smooth  matters  over,  and  nothing  more 
was  said.  As  soon  as  my  husband  entered  the  room  I  saw 
that  he  was  put  out.  I  would,  nevertheless,  not  ask  him  what 
had  happened  till  we  were  alone  together.  It  cost  me  a  good 
deal  of  trouble  to  get  him  to  tell  me  all  about  it.  I  cannot  say 
how  much  1  was  distressed  at  the  occurrence.  I  represented 
to  Prince  Henry  what  sad  results  any  dispute  on  this  subject 
would  lead  to.  It  would  remind  him  and  his  father  of  a  most 
sad  catastrophe,  which  had  long  been  forgotten.  Then  the  per- 
son with  whom  he  had  the  quarrel  was  his  own  brother-in-law, 
a  sovereign  with  no  heirs.  If  anything  happened  to  the  Mar- 
grave of  Anspach,  his  country  would  fall  to  him,  and  he  would 
be  exposed  to  most  unpleasant  criticism.  My  husband  was  at 
first  far  too  angry  to  listen  to  my  representations.  I  was  only 
able  to  obtain  a  promise  from  him  that  he  would  do  nothing 
till  next  day. 

The  Duke  of  Bevern  told  the  Margrave  of  Baireuth  what 
had  taken  place  at  the  "Tabagie."  My  father-in-law  accord- 
ingly came  to  see  me  next  morning,  and  had  a  long  conversa- 
tion with  his  son  and  myself.  The  Margrave  used  exactly  the 
same  arguments  as  I  had  employed.  Things  remained  as  they 
were  till  the  evening.  Everybody  advised  me  to  tell  the  Mar- 
grave of  Anspach  what  I  thought  of  his  behavior,  and  then, 
if  possible,  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation  between  him  and 
Prince  Henry.  The  Duke  of  Bevern,  his  wife,  and  many  oth- 
ers talked  to  me  on  the  subject.  My  sister,  who  knew  of  the 
unfortunate  occurrence,  and  had  listened  to  what  was  being  said 
to  me,  now  approached  me  with  open  arms,  exclaiming,  "  I  am 
in  despair  at  what  has  happened  ;  my  husband  is  entirely  to 
blame.  I  beg  you  in  his  name  to  forgive  his  unpardonable  be- 
havior; I  shall  tell  him  what  I  think  of  it."  I  replied  how 
grieved  I  was  that  she  had  overheard  what  had  been  said  to  me, 
and  that  the  dispute  between  our  respective  husbands  would  in 
nowise  lessen  my  love  for  her.  I  entreated  her  not  to  involve 
herself  in  the  business,  as  she  would  only  make  matters  worse, 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIRETJTH.         213 

and  cause  herself  much  annoyance.  At  that  time  she  was  liv- 
ing on  anything  but  happy  terms  with  the  Margrave.  She 
promised  me  at  last  to  let  matters  rest. 

After  supper  I  began  a  conversation  with  the  Margrave  of 
Anspach.  I  wanted  to  represent  his  conduct  to  him,  but  my 
sister  left  me  no  time ;  she  gave  him  plainly  to  understand 
what  she  thought  of  his  behavior.  He  answered  her  in  a 
very  loud,  gruff  voice.  Prince  Henry  imagined  this  answer 
was  meant  for  him,  so  he  replied  in  the  same  tone.  He  ap- 
proached the  Margrave  to  insist  on  his  giving  him  satisfaction, 
and  threatened  to  throw  him  into  the  fire,  "  where  he  might 
roast  at  pleasure."  The  Margrave  was  in  a  dreadful  state  of 
terror,  and  was  taken  into  the  queen's  audience-chamber,  where 
she  was  walking  to  and  fro,  pretending  to  know  nothing  of 
what  was  going  on.  The  Margrave  hid  himself  behind  the 
curtains,  and  cried  like  a  child.  The  Duchess  of  Bevern,  who 
had  followed  him,  now  came  forward  and  comforted  him, 
saying  that  Prince  Henry  had  no  idea  of  killing  him.  Mean- 
while the  Margrave  of  Baireuth,  the  Prince  of  Bevern,  and  my 
brother  had  assembled  round  my  husband.  They  could  not 
help  laughing  at  his  suggestions  with  respect  to  his  opponent's 
behavior.  He  said  he  ought  to  be  birched  like  a  child  to 
make  him  stop  crying.  However,  as  they  were  afraid  of 
further  consequences,  they  induced  my  husband  to  retire  to 
his  rooms.  The  Margrave  of  Anspach  was  also  conducted 
back  to  his  apartment.  His  anger  and  fury  were  such  that 
they  brought  on  an  attack  of  illness,  which  almost  proved 
fatal.  During  his  convalescence  he  had  time  to  think  calmly 
over  the  matter,  and  decided  to  make  it  up  with  Prince  Henry. 
He  intrusted  the  Duke  of  Bevern  to  offer  my  husband  his 
ample  apologies,  which  the  prince  at  once  accepted.  The  two 
opponents  embraced,  and  no  dispute  ever  arose  between  them 
again. 

A  few  days  after  this  my  brother  left  Berlin.  Although 
his  affection  for  me  seemed  to  have  cooled  down,  we  never- 


214         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

theless  took  a  very  tender  leave  of  each  other.  I  felt  the 
separation  keenly. 

My  one  aim  now  was  to  regain  my  father's  affection.  It 
was  quite  useless  to  endeavor  to  do  so  with  the  queen,  and  I 
shall  no  longer  speak  of  her  ill-humor  towards  me,  which  re- 
mained invariable.  In  the  presence  of  others  she  was  more 
careful,  but  I  suffered  all  the  more  when  alone  with  her.  I 
knew  no  one  could  give  my  father  a  greater  pleasure  than  by 
procuring  him  colossuses  for  his  regiment  at  Potsdam.  Un- 
fortunately, enormously  tall  men  do  not  grow  out  of  the  earth 
like  mushrooms,  and  I  was  unable  to  procure  such  recruits  for 
him.  Another  means  of  pleasing  the  king  consisted  in  giving 
him  and  his  favorites  a  good  dinner  and  plenty  of  old  wine. 
I  therefore  determined  to  invite  the  king  to  dinner.  I  never 
saw  him  in  such  a  good  temper  or  in  such  high  spirits.  He 
treated  rne  and  Prince  Henry  in  the  kindest  and  most  affec- 
tionate manner,  and  insisted  on  remaining  the  rest  of  the  day 
with  me.  My  father  resolved  that  there  should  be  a  ball  in 
the  evening.  He  invited  all  the  Princesses  of  the  Blood  to  it, 
as  well  as  many  ladies  from  the  town.  He  opened  the  ball 
with  me,  and  danced  with  all  the  ladies — a  thing  he  had  never 
been  known  to  do  before. 

On  the  l7th  of  December  my  father,  with  all  the  princes 
and  other  guests,  went  to  Naucn  to  shoot  wild-boars,  and  re- 
turned to  Berlin  only  on  the  21st.  The  Margrave  of  Anspach, 
who  still  bore  my  husband  a  grudge,  had  also  been  to  Nauen. 
He  determined  to  play  a  new  trick  on  Prince  Henry.  As 
soon  as  the  Margrave  returned  to  Berlin  he  went  to  see  the 
queen,  and  as  he  was  her  tale-bearer  she  at  once  asked  him 
about  the  visit  to  Nauen.  He  took  this  opportunity  of  in- 
venting the  most  abominable  slanders  about  my  husband, 
whom  he  accused  of  the  lowest  vices.  Not  content  with  this, 
he  must  needs  go  with  these  tales  to  my  father-in-law,  who 
lent  his  ear  to  them.  The  Margrave  of  Baireuth  confided 
them  to  my  sister,  feeling  sure  she  would  tell  me.  My  mother 


MEMOIRS  OP  THE  MARGRAVINE  OP  BAIREUTH.      215 

Was  delighted  at  this  gossip,  and  determined  to  amuse  herself 
about  it  at  my  expense.  When  I  joined  her  that  evening  I 
very  soon  noticed  that  there  was  something  the  matter.  I 
observed  that  she  shot  angry  glances  at  Prince  Henry,  and 
then  spoke  in  whispers  to  my  sister  Charlotte.  The  Margrave 
of  Baireuth  was  very  cross,  and  I  could  not  in  the  least  under- 
stand what  had  happened.  My  sister  of  Anspach,  who  loved 
me  very  dearly,  observed  my  disquietude,  and  calling  me  on  one 
side  told  me  the  facts  of  the  case.  I  was  not  in  the  least  dis- 
turbed, now  that  I  knew  the  whole  story.  I  had  been  married 
more  than  a  month,  and  had  therefore  had  time  to  become 
acquainted  with  my  husband's  character.  I  knew  he  was  in- 
capable of  any  low  action.  I  begged  my  sister,  for  reasons 
which  I  explained  to  her,  to  say  nothing  more  about  it. 

To  the  Duke  of  Bevern,  however,  I  poured  forth  my  com- 
plaints on  the  subject.  He  answered  me  that  he  knew  the 
whole  story,  and  that  it  was  pure  malicious  invention.  The 
Prince  of  Baireuth  had  lived  in  the  same  house  with  him  at 
Nauen,  and  had  never  left  his  side.  The  duke  added  that  he 
would  take  good  care  that  the  king  and  my  father-in-law,  to 
whom  the  same  lies  had  been  told,  should  know  the  exact 
truth  of  the  matter.  "  As  to  the  rest,"  he  continued,  "  you 
must  be  above  it  all.  Let  the  queen  have  the  satisfaction  of 
rejoicing  over  what  she  believes  to  be  your  unhappiness." 
That  evening  the  Margrave  of  Baireuth  was  very  noisy,  and 
made  his  son  suffer  from  his  ill-temper.  My  husband  would 
have  then  and  there  called  the  Margrave  of  Anspach  to  ac- 
count had  I  not  prevented  him.  The  story  was  forgotten  by 
next  day,  but  it  certainly  reflected  no  credit  on  the  Margrave. 

I  had  hitherto  not  troubled  myself  about  my  pecuniary 
position.  Relying  implicitly  on  my  father's  solemn  promise, 
given  me  at  the  time  of  my  marriage,  that  he  would  amply 
provide  for  me,  I  had  not  inquired  further.  One  day,  how- 
ever, curiosity  got  the  better  of  me,  and  I  questioned  M. 
von  Voit  on  the  subject.  He  showed  me  my  marriage  treaty, 


216        MEMOIRS    OP   THE  MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

and  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  my  position  almost  preca- 
rious. 

The  marriage  treaty  contained  the  following  articles :  The 
king  lent  the  Margrave  of  Bairenth  260,000  thalers,*  without 
interest,  to  pay  his  debts.  After  two  years  had  elapsed  he 
was  to  commence  repaying  the  sum  in  instalments  of  2500 
thalers.f  This  was  the  great  mark  of  favor  promised  me. 
My  dowry  was  40,000  thalers,J  to  which  the  king  added 
60,000  thalers  §  of  his  own  free  will,  in  order  to  make  good 
what  I  had  lost  by  giving  up  iny  claims  to  my  mother's  fort- 
une. My  jointure  amounted  to  16,000  thalers, ||  and  our  joint 
income  with  which  to  meet  our  household  expenses,  etc.,  was 
14,000  thalers.1"  Of  this  last  sum  2000  thalers  **  were  for 
my  own  use,  out  of  which  I  had  to  pay  all  salaries,  so  that  I 
could  really  dispose  of  only  1200  thalers  ff  for  my  private  use. 
My  dismay  is  easily  to  be  understood.  M.  von  Voit  shrugged 
his  shoulders,  and  said  that  the  king  had  himself  settled  every- 
thing. He  had  thought  I  was  satisfied,  otherwise  he  would 
have  mentioned  the  subject  sooner.  It  was  too  late  now;  the 
evil  was  done,  and  the  marriage  treaty  signed  and  sealed. 
After  some  reflection  I  determined  to  speak  to  Grnmkow,  and 
to  beg  him  to  represent  to  the  king  how  cruelly  he  had  treated 
me.  I  sent  accordingly  for  him,  and  said  to  him,  "You  are 
one  of  those  whom  the  king  sent  to  me  to  induce  me  to  con- 
sent to  my  marriage.  You  know  with  what  bitter  tears  and 
reluctance  I  consented.  It  was  you  in  particular  who  prom- 
ised me  my  father's  especial  protection,  and  gave  me  the  as- 

*  Thirty-nine  thousand  pounds. 

f  Three  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds. 

j  Six  thousand  pounds. 

§  Nine  thousand  pounds. 

|  Two  thousand  four  hundred  pounds. 

^f  Two  thousand  one  hundred  pounds. 

**  Three  hundred  pounds. 

ft  One  hundred  and  eighty  pounds. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        217 

surance  that  he  would  provide  handsomely  for  me  as  long  as  I 
lived.  You  even  used  the  expression  that  he  would  favor  me 
more  than  all  the  rest  of  his  children.  On  the  day  I  was  be- 
trothed the  king  himself  repeated  this  to  me.  But  far  from 
keeping  his  promise,  my  father  has  even  provided  less  liberally 
for  me  than  for  my  sister  of  Anspach.  I  have  not  even  suffi- 
cient to  live  as  a  lady  in  private  circumstances  should." 

Grumkow  listened  attentively  to  me,  and  after  a  moment's 
reflection  replied  that  I  was  to  be  calm,  and  promised  me  that 
he  would  get  a  pension  allowed  me  by  the  king.  He,  how- 
ever, asked  me  to  say  nothing  about  it  till  the  Margrave  of  Bai- 
reuth  had  left  Berlin,  "  because,"  Grumkow  added,  "  I  know 
my  old  master  too  well.  When  it  comes  to  the  question  of 
giving,  he  is  as  obstinate  as  the  devil  himself.  He  would  pick, 
a  quarrel  with  the  Margrave,  and  tell  him  he  was  giving  you 
more  than  he  did.  This  would  only  lead  to  disputes,  and  would 
not  help  your  cause.  When  once  the  Margrave  has  left,  the 
king  is  bound  to  make  up  for  the  wrong  he  has  done  you."  I 
thanked  Grumkow  warmly,  and  promised  to  follow  his  advice. 

As  bad  luck  would  have  it,  the  queen  had  been  informed 
of  the  occurrence  I  have  mentioned.  She  would  have  spoken 
with  me  about  it  had  an  opportunity  offered  itself.  She  paid 
people  to  spy  on  me  and  listen  at  my  doors.  Grumkow's  visit 
naturally  remained  no  secret,  and  feminine  curiosity  made  ray 
mother  try  and  discover  what  our  long  conversation  had  been 
about.  She  found  out  about  half,  but  was  most  desirous  of 
knowing  all.  She  therefore  determined  to  cross-question  me. 
The  queen  conversed  some  time  most  amiably  with  me,  and 
then  mentioned  my  departure.  She  said  she  was  in  despair  at 
losing  us,  and  hoped  to  postpone  the  evil  day  as  long  as  possi- 
ble. "  What  distresses  me  most,"  my  mother  added,  "  is  to 
know  how  badly  the  king  has  provided  for  you.  If  I  had  a 
reason  against  your  marriage,  it  was  that  I  knew  how  things 
would  be.  You  have  done  quite  right  to  speak  with  Grumkow, 
because  he  can  help  you.  What  advice  did  he  give  you  ?"  I 


218        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH, 

must  here  confess  my  own  stupidity,  for  I  was  well  punished 
for  it.  I  gave  the  queen  an  account  of  my  conversation  with 
Grumkow,  begging  her  on  no  account  to  repeat  it.  She  prom- 
ised me  to  be  silent,  and  added,  "  I  know  too  well  what  the 
consequences  would  be  were  I  to  speak  of  it."  Immediately 
after  dinner  I  went  to  my  own  room,  and  left  the  king  and 
queen  alone  together.  As  my  mother  did  not  know  how  to 
entertain  him,  she  told  my  father  my  secret,  and  all  that  had 
passed  between  Grumkow  and  myself.  No  sooner  had  the  king 
left  the  queen  than  he  sent  for  my  marriage  treaty,  put  his  pen 
through  the  sum  allowed  for  my  servants'  wages,  and  reduced 
our  joint  income  by  4000  thalers.*  The  queen,  quite  trium- 
phant at  the  heroic  act  she  had  performed,  sent  for  me  at  once, 
and  said,  as  she  embraced  me,  "  You  no  longer  need  Grumkow's 
help.  I  have  arranged  it  all  with  your  father.  I  told  him  of 
our  conversation  ;  he  pitied  you,  and  has  promised  to  alter  ev- 
erything and  provide  properly  for  you."  I  was  like  one  petri- 
fied, and  then  reproached  her  bitterly  for  her  imprudence.  She 
grew  very  angry,  and  spoke  most  unkindly  to  me.  Grumkow 
sent  me  word  that  same  day  that  he  would  never  again  try  to 
help  me.  I  had  spoiled  everything  by  my  gossip.  The  king 
had  reduced  our  income  by  4000  thalers,f  and  he,  Grumkow, 
was  very  pleased  my  father  had  done  so,  as  I  had  not  chosen  to 
follow  his  advice.  I  had  exposed  him  to  my  father's  wrath. 
I  must  now  see,  he  continued,  how  I  should  get  on,  for  he 
would  never  again  speak  for  me.  I  was  very  miserable  about 
it  all.  I  could  riot  even  complain  of  what  had  happened,  as  it 
was  entirely  my  mother's  fault.  My  patience  was  exhausted, 
and  what  hurt  me  most  of  all  was  the  knowledge  that  Made- 
moiselle von  Sonnsfeld,  and  all  my  faithful  and  devoted  serv- 
ants, would  be  so  badly  paid,  and  that  I  could  do  nothing. 

The  Margrave  and  all  the  other  royal  guests  left  soon  after 
this.     The  king  went  to  Potsdam,  and  I  was  to  join  him  there 

*  Six  hundred  pounds.  f  Idem. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        219 

on  my  way  to  Baireuth.  I  was  counting  the  Lours  till  I  should 
reach  my  new  home,  for  Berlin  had  become  an  object  of  horror 
to  me.  I  hoped  a  happy,  peaceful  life  was  in  store  for  me.  I 
therefore  bore  my  troubles  patiently,  hoping  they  would  cease 
with  the  year  1731.  I  must  now  begin  with  my  account  of 
1732. 

A  new  epoch  in  my  life  began  with  this  year.  I  had  not, 
for  some  little  time,  been  feeling  well,  but  thought  it  was  the 
consequence  of  all  the  sorrow  I  had  been  through.  I  had  con- 
stant fainting  attacks.  The  doctor  I  consulted  accounted  for 
my  condition  by  holding  out  hopes  of  my  having  a  child.  The 
queen  let  me  know  that  she  wished  to  spend  Twelfth  Night 
with  me,  and  that  I  was  to  invite  all  the  princes  and  princesses, 
who  would  then  be  able  to  take  leave  of  me.  This  little  recep- 
tion proved  a  very  dull  one.  Everybody  had  tears  in  his  eyes, 
and  seemed  much  affected  at  the  thoughts  of  my  departure.  I 
took  a  tender  farewell  of  the  Margravine  Philip.  Our  friend- 
ship had  in  nowise  suffered  by  my  marriage.  I  could  not  say 
"good-by"  to  so  many  kind  friends  without  feeling  deeply 
affected. 

Next  day  we  went  to  Potsdam.  The  king  received  me  most 
kindly.  He  was  highly  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  becoming 
a  grandfather,  and  made  me  many  affectionate  speeches  on  the 
subject.  They,  however,  produced  but  little  effect  on  me,  as  I 
felt  far  too  ill  to  notice  anything. 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  had  three  nieces,  the  daughters 
of  General  Marwitz,  a  great  favorite  of  the  king.  The  eldest 
of  these  girls  was  fourteen,  and  would  one  day  be  a  rich  heir- 
ess. Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  had  taken  charge  of  her 
nieces'  education  since  the  death  of  their  mother.  My  former 
governess  was  most  anxious  to  take  the  eldest  with  her  to  Bai- 
reuth, but  did  not  dare  ask  the  king's  permission.  He  had 
only  lately  published  an  order  which  forbade  all  heiresses  or 
rich  young  girls  to  leave  his  country.  I  induced  my  father, 
however,  to  grant  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld's  request.  I 


220        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

mention  this  fact,  as  it  stands  in  close  connection  with  future 
events.  The  day  of  my  departure  was  fixed  for  the  llth  of  Jan- 
uary. I  determined  to  make  one  last  effort  to  soften  the  king's 
heart  towards  me.  I  chose  a  moment  when  the  queen  was  not 
present.  I  reminded  him  of  past  times,  and  justified  my  be- 
havior during  the  time  of  my  disgrace,  but  without  doing  the 
queen  harm.  I  represented  to  him  my  present  position  in  the 
most  touching  manner,  and  finally  implored  his  protection  and 
help.  He  burst  out  crying,  and  clasped  me  in  his  arms,  ami 
was  too  much  overcome  to  speak.  At  last  my  father  said,  "  I 
am  in  utter  despair.  I  have  never  really  known  you.  People 
have  represented  you  to  me  in  the  blackest  colors,  so  that  I 
hated  you  as  much  as  I  now  love  you.  Now  I  see  that  had  I 
spoken  to  you  sooner  I  should  have  saved  myself  much  sorrow. 
I  often  wished  to  do  so,  but  others  always  prevented  me.  I 
have  been  deceived  on  all  sides,  and  no  one  is  more  to  blame 
than  your  mother."  I  here  ventured  to  interrupt  the  king,  and 
told  him  that  the  queen  had  always  had  the  best  intentions, 
and  that  her  love  for  me  and  my  brother  had  influenced  her 
actions.  "  Well,  then,  that  may  be  so,"  my  father  replied ; 
"  what  has  been,  has  been.  But  as  to  yourself,  you  shall  ever 
be  my  dearest  child,  and  I  will  favor  you  most  of  any  of  my 
children.  Continue  to  put  confidence  in  me,  and  you  can  al- 
ways count  on  my  help  and  protection."  He  then  gave  me 
some  fatherly  advice,  and  ended  by  saying,  "  It  grieves  me  to 
part  from  you.  Now  go  and  take  leave  of  your  mother,  while 
I  embrace  your  husband,  and  then  you  must  start."  I  went 
sobbing  to  my  mother,  whom  I  entreated  to  restore  me  to  her 
affection.  I  did  all  I  could  to  move  her,  but  in  vain.  She  an- 
swered me  civilly,  and  I  could  but  too  well  feel  that  none  of 
her  words  came  from  her  heart. 

The  Duke  of  Holstein  then  led  me  to  my  carriage,  in  which 
Prince  Henry  and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  were  already 
sitting.  We  reached  Klosterzina  safely  that  evening,  and 
started  again  next  morning.  We  h-ad  not  driven  two  stations 


MEMOIKS    OF    THE    MARGKAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.         221 

when  one  of  the  horses  fell  down  and  the  carriage  was  over- 
turned. There  were  two  loaded  pistols  and  some  heavy  boxes 
in  the  carriage,  and  these  fell  upon  me,  but  happily  did  not 
injure  me.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  cried  out  incessantly, 
"  Have  mercy  on  me !"  I  asked  her  if  she  were  hurt ;  she  an- 
swered "  No,"  but  still  continued  screaming.  Prince  Henry 
had  jumped  out  of  the  carriage,  and  I  saw  that  he  was  not 
hurt.  The  whole  occurrence  was  so  ridiculous  that  I  could  not 
help  laughing.  I  was  nearly  smothered  by  all  the  things  that 
were  lying  on  me.  At  last  I  was  with  some  trouble  dragged 
out  from  the  carriage,  and  the  servants  carried  me  into  a  field 
covered  with  snow  and  ice,  where  they  left  me  standing.  I 
could  not  move,  as  I  feared  to  slip  on  the  ice,  and  thought  I 
was  to  be  overtaken  by  the  same  terrible  fate  as  befell  Lot's 
wife  when  she  left  Sodom,  and  that  I  should  freeze  into  an  ice 
pillar.  Happily  the  carriage  containing  my  ladies  and  gentle- 
men drove  up  at  this  moment.  My  ladies  were  terribly  fright- 
ened, and  ran  about  the  field  calling  out,  "  But  where  is  her 
Royal  Highness  ?"  I  answered  them  in  vain  ;  they  were  in 
such  a  state  that  they  ran  past  me  and  asked  where  I  was.  I 
was  much  amused  at  their  fright,  and  at  last  persuaded  them 
that  it  was  really  I  who  was  speaking  to  them.  These  poor 
girls  were  in  great  distress  lest  this  accident  should  cause  a 
premature  confinement,  and  offered  me  smelling-salts  and  a 
hundred  other  remedies,  all  of  which  I  refused.  Prince  Henry 
was  no  less  perturbed.  At  last  we  continued  our  journey. 

I  forgot  to  say  that  the  king  had  desired  M.  von  Burstell  to 
accompany  me  to  Baireuth  in  the  capacity  of  Prussian  minis- 
ter. We  had  no  sooner  reached  Torgan,  where  we  spent  the 
night,  than  Burstell  went  to  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  and 
begged  her  to  entreat  me  to  remain  a  day  or  two  at  Torgau, 
not  only  to  rest,  but  to  counteract  any  ill  effects  of  the  carriage 
accident.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  quite  agreed  with  him, 
and  they  both  made  my  husband  such  representations  on  the 
subject  that  he  was  quite  panic-stricken.  They  now  came  to 


222         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

rae  with  their  entreaties.  I  had  noticed  them  approaching, 
and  was  determined  to  have  some  fun  from  our  adventure. 

About  this  time  the  great  fair  at  Leipsic  was  being  held, 
which  is  one  of  the  largest  in  all  Germany.  Everybody  that 
cares  for  amusement  visits  it.  In  this  town  I  was  to  pass  the 
next  night ;  and  on  the  pretext  that  there  was  no  good  doctor 
in  Torgau,  and  that  the  lodgings  there  were  uncomfortable,  I 
arranged  with  Prince  Henry  to  make  a  further  stay  of  two 
days. 

We  arrived  next  day  at  Leipsic.  This  town  is  in  Saxony, 
and  is  celebrated  for  its  university  as  well  as  for  the  fair  which 
I  have  just  mentioned.  The  town  is  prettily  situated,  and,  being 
surrounded  by  gardens,  has  a  cheerful  aspect.  Though  I  was 
neither  "  sick  nor  sorry,"  t  went  to  bed  as  soon  as  I  arrived,  in 
order  not  to  give  cause  for  complaint,  and  to  be  able  to  go  out 
next  day.  My  first  question  was,  if  there  were  many  people  at 
Leipsic  at  that  moment.  But  oh !  disappointment,  cruel  dis- 
appointment, I  was  told  every  one  had  left  the  week  before.  I 
was  in  despair  at  this,  for  it  had  put  an  end  to  all  my  little 
hopes.  I  spent  two  terribly  dull  days  at  Leipsic,  and  was 
obliged  to  endure  patiently  all  the  marks  of  honor  with  which 
I  was  overwhelmed. 

We  went  on  next  day  as  far  as  Gera.  I  had  never  seen 
mountains,  as  there  are  none  in  my  father's  country,  and  I  had 
never  travelled.  When  I  saw  these  heights  and  precipices  I 
opened  my  eyes,  and  the  perspiration  stood  in  great  drops  on 
my  face.  As  we  proceeded  on  our  way,  the  road  grew  worse 
and  worse,  and  I  was  shaken  to  pieces.  In  spite  of  every 
entreaty  I  got  out  and  walked ;  the  fear  of  the  precipices  gave 
me  strength.  Surrounded  as  I  was  by  snow-clad  mountains,  I 
fancied  myself  in  Lapland.  Seeing  nothing  but  a  few  woods 
in  the  distance,  I  sighed,  and  asked  when  these  dreadful  mount- 
ains would  end.  I  received  no  comfort,  for  I  was  told  they 
continued  the  whole  way  to  Baircuth. 

At  last,  nine  days  after  I  had  left  Berlin,  we  reached  Jlof, 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIBEUTH.         223 

the  first  town  in  the  principality  of  Baireuth.  Three  salutes 
were  fired  as  we  entered  the  town,  where  all  the  burghers  re- 
ceived us.  We  drove  to  the  Castle.  The  lord  chamberlain, 
Von  Reitzenstein,  with  several  other  gentlemen  and  the  nobility 
of  the  country,  received  me  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs — if  I  can 
call  stairs  something  which  looked  more  like  a  ladder. 

As  soon  as  I  reached  my  room,  M.  von  Reitzenstein  wel- 
comed me  in  the  name  of  the  Margrave  on  my  arrival  in  his 
country.  I  then  listened  to  an  address  from  the  nobles,  whom 
I  had  been  asked  to  receive  kindly.  The  higher  nobility  enjoy 
a  great  many  rights  and  privileges  in  the  empire,  and  claim  to 
be  responsible  to  the  emperor  alone.  They  behave  as  if  they 
were  small  sovereigns.  Their  pretensions  are  most  absurd,  and 
are  the  cause  of  constant  quarrels  among  them.  The  gentry 
of  the  Baireuth  district  had  had  a  dispute  with  their  neighbors, 
and  in  the  course  of  the  endless  differences  the  Margrave  of 
Baireuth  had  added  fuel  to  the  fire  by  wishing  to  interfere  with 
the  privileges  of  his  nobles.  These  rose  up  in  arms,  and  most 
unpleasant  consequences  might  have  ensued.  Peace  was  re- 
stored only  after  much  trouble,  and  the  Margrave  was  obliged 
to  give  up  his  intention  of  intervening.  M.  von  Voit,  my  lord 
chamberlain,  belonged  to  the  aristocracy  of  this  portion  of 
Baireuth,  but  his  property  was  in  the  Margravate  itself.  He 
explained  to  the  Margrave  that  if  he  desired  to  win  over  this 
section  of  his  subjects  to  his  side  he  must  treat  them  loyally 
and  kindly.  I  had  been  told  that  these  nobles  were  all  of  very 
old  wealthy  families,  and  hoped  I  should  get  to  see  and  know 
them.  But  I  made  a  great  mistake  in  thinking  this  possible. 
I  must  here  describe  some  of  those  who  received  me  at  Ilof. 

There  were  about  thirty  who  had  presented  themselves  to 
welcome  me.  They  belonged  mostly  to  the  family  of  Reitzen- 
stein. Their  faces  would  have  frightened  little  children,  and 
to  add  to  their  beauty  they  had  arranged  their  hair  to  resemble 
the  wigs  that  were  then  in  fashion.  Their  dresses  clearly  de- 
noted the  antiquity  of  their  families,  as  they  were  composed  of 


224         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

heirlooms,  and  were  cnt  accordingly,  so  that  most  of  them  did 
not  fit.  In  spite  of  their  costumes  being  the  "  Court  dresses," 
the  gold  and  silver  trimmings  were  so  black  that  you  had  a 
difficulty  in  making  out  of  what  they  were  made.  The  man- 
ners of  these  nobles  suited  their  faces  and  their  clothes.  They 
might  have  passed  for  peasants.  I  could  scarcely  restrain  my 
laughter  when  I  first  beheld  these  strange  figures.  I  spoke  to 
each  in  turn,  but  none  of  them  understood  what  I  said,  and 
their  replies  sounded  to  me  like  Hebrew,  because  the  dialect  of 
the  empire  is  quite  different  from  that  spoken  in  Brandenburg. 

The  clergy  also  presented  themselves.  These  were  totally 
different  creatures.  Round  their  necks  they  wore  great  ruffs, 
which  resembled  washing  baskets.  They  spoke  very  slowly,  so 
that  I  might  be  able  to  understand  them  better.  They  said 
the  most  foolish  things,  and  it  was  only  with  much  difficulty 
that  I  was  able  to  prevent  myself  from  laughing.  At  last  T 
got  rid  of  all  these  people,  and  we  sat  down  to  dinner.  I 
tried  my  best  to  converse  with  those  at  table,  but  it  was  use- 
less. At  last  I  touched  on  agricultural  topics,  and  then  they 
began  to  thaw.  I  was  at  once  informed  of  all  their  different 
farmsteads  and  herds  of  cattle.  An  almost  interesting  discus- 
sion took  place  as  to  whether  the  oxen  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
country  were  fatter  than  those  in  the  lowlands.  When  dinner 
was  half  over,  I  was  told  that  the  moment  had  come  to  drink 
the  Margrave's  health.  They  brought  me  an  enormous  goblet 
to  drink  from,  which  was  so  large  I  could  have  put  my  head 
into  it,  and  so  heavy  that  I  nearly  let  it  fall.  After  this  the 
lord  chamberlain  drank  my  health.  There  were  forty  people 
at  dinner,  and  I  thought  I  should  have  strained  my  back  with 
the  many  bows  I  had  to  make.  I  was  at  last  so  tired  that  I 
got  up  and  left  the  dining-room. 

I  was  told  that  as  the  next  day  was  Sunday  I  must  spend  it 
at  Ilof  and  listen  to  a  sermon.  Never  before  had  I  heard 
such  a  sermon !  The  clergyman  began  by  giving  us  an  account 
of  all  the  marriages  that  had  taken  place  from  Adam's  time  to 


MEMOIHS    OF   THE    MAEGUAV1NE    OF   BAIEEUTH.         225 

that  of  Noah.  We  were  spared  no  detail,  so  that  the  gen- 
tlemen all  laughed  and  the  poor  ladies  blushed.  The  dinner 
went  off  as  on  the  previous  day.  In  the  afternoon  all  the  ladies 
came  to  pay  me  their  respects.  Gracious  heavens,  what  ladies, 
too  !  They  were  all  as  ugly  as  the  gentlemen,  and  their  head- 
dresses were  so  curious  that  swallows  might  have  built  their 
nests  in  them.  They  really  looked  most  ridiculous.  Some  of 
these  ladies  had  been  to  Court,  and  it  was  amusing  to  notice 
the  airs  they  gave  themselves  in  consequence.  No,  I  really 
think  I  never  saw  anything  funnier  than  the  way  in  which 
they  looked  at  us. 

I  spent  the  whole  day  in  this  Noah's  Ark.  Next  morning 
we  went  on  to  Gefres,  which  is  about  three  hours'  ride  from 
Hof.  The  Margrave  of  Baireuth  met  me  here.  He  received 
me  in  a  wretched  little  inn,  but  was  extremely  civil,  and  over- 
whelmed his  son  and  myself  with  assurances  of  friendship. 
That  evening,  after  dinner,  he  took  me  to  my  room,  and  re- 
mained standing  there  for  two  hours,  talking  to  me  of  Telem- 
achus  and  Amelot  de  la  Houssaye's  Roman  history.  As  the 
amiable  Margrave  was  very  slow  and  precise,  his  conversation 
resembled  that  of  a  sermon  read  aloud  for  the  purpose  of  send- 
ing the  listener  to  sleep.  I  felt  so  unwell  that  had  not  my 
father-in-law  called  my  servants  I  should  have  fallen  down  on 
the  floor.  As  it  was  I  fainted,  and  remained  unconscious  for 
three  hours.  They  wanted  to  induce  me  to  remain  another  day 
in  this  dreadful  little  inn,  but  I  insisted  on  continuing  our 
journey  to  Baireuth,  which  was  only  three  miles*  off.  The 
Margrave  bad  already  preceded  us.  We  left  after  dinner,  and 
arrived  at  Baireuth  at  six  in  the  evening,  on  the  22d  of  Janu- 
ary. The  manner  of  my  entry  into  Baireuth  may,  perhaps,  ex- 
cite curiosity.  About  half  a  mile  from  the  town  I  received  an 
address  from  the  chief  magistrate,  M.  von  Dabeneck.  He  was 
very  tall  and  thin,  and  had  I  not  known  that  he  was  of  good 

*  Six  English  miles. 
15 


226        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGItAVINB    OF   BAIREUTH. 

birth  I  should  have  taken  him  for  an  actor.  He  declaimed  ex- 
actly like  one.  At  last  we  reached  the  town  amid  the  firing 
of  cannon.  My  carriage,  drawn  by  six  wretched  post-horses, 
headed  the  procession ;  then  came  the  carriage  with  my  ladies, 
then  one  in  which  the  lord  chamberlain  was  seated.  Two  others 
followed  with  my  servants,  and  then  six  or  seven  large  luggage- 
carts,  which  closed  this  imposing  triumphal  entry.  I  do  not 
think  any  royal  personage  was  ever  received  in  such  a  fashion. 
Somehow  or  other  curious  things  are  always  happening  to  me, 
even  though  they  be  but  trifles.  I  was  very  much  put  out 
at  my  reception,  but  did  not  show  it.  The  Margrave,  his  two 
daughters,  and  the  whole  of  his  Court  received  me  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairs.  I  was  at  once  led  to  my  apartments.  These 
were  so  beautiful  that  I  must  describe  them. 

A  large,  dirty  antechamber  led  into  a  large  room,  of  which 
the  ceiling  was  the  greatest  ornament.  The  paper  that  covered 
it  must  once  have  been  very  handsome.  Now  you  required  a 
microscope  to  discover  the  pattern  on  it.  I  at  last  made  out 
that  it  represented  the  story  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  Out  of  this 
room  I  went  into  a  boudoir,  which  was  hung  with  a  kind  of 
brocade,  of  which  I  never  could  discover  the  color.  The  next 
room  was  covered  with  green  damask,  full  of  holes.  At  last  I 
reached  my  bedroom.  This  was  also  hung  with  damask,  and 
decorated  here  and  there  with  a  little  gold.  It  was  all  so  brand 
new  that  after  a  fortnight  there  were  no  longer  any  curtains  to 
my  bed  ;  they  were  so  rotten  that  every  day  a  piece  fell  from 
them  when  they  were  drawn.  I  was  struck  dumb  by  the  state 
and  appearance  of  my  rooms.  I  had  never  seen  anything  to 
equal  it.  The  rooms  themselves  were  fine  and  large.  No  sooner 
had  I  reached  my  bedroom  than  the  Margrave  placed  an  arm- 
chair for  me.  We  sat  down  and  conversed  for  an  hour,  which 
seemed  to  me  like  a  century.  After  this  all  the  ladies  and  gen- 
tlemen of  the  Court  and  the  guests  staying  in  the  Castle  were 
presented  to  me.  I  will  break  off  here  in  my  narrative  to  give 
a  short  account  of  the  Court  of  Baireuth  as  it  was  at  that  time. 


MEMOIRS    OF   TOE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        227 

The  Margrave  was  fifty- four  years  of  age.  He  was  of  middle 
height,  neither  handsome  nor  the  reverse.  There  was  nothing 
remarkable  in  the  expression  of  his  face,  beyond  that  on  look- 
ing closely  at  him  yon  discovered  his  eyes  had  a  false  look  in 
them.  The  Margrave  was  excessively  thin,  had  crooked  legs 
and  a  very  awkward  gait,  though  he  tried  to  appear  graceful. 
lie  was  very  narrow  -  minded,  and  his  conversation  very  dull. 
He  was  civil,  but  had  an  unpleasant  manner.  He  was  extreme- 
ly vain,  and  talked  incessantly  of  his  powers,  his  justice,  and 
his  great  determination  and  firmness.  He  really  had  a  weak 
character,  no  head  for  business,  and  was  false,  distrustful,  suspi- 
cious, and  jealous.  Telemachus  and  Amelot  de  la  Houssaye 
were  his  only  topics  of  conversation,  and  on  these  he  was  real- 
ly rather  mad.  My  father-in-law  was  always  thirsting  after 
glory.  On  the  one  hand,  he  did  things  which  were  unbefitting 
his  rank,  and  on  the  other  stooped  to  the  basest  actions.  He 
was  neither  generous  nor  stingy,  but  never  gave  anything  un- 
less pressed  to  do  so.  In  spite  of  not  being  clever  he  was  a 
great  discerner  of  character,  and  knew  those  intimately  who 
came  to  his  Court.  He  kept  a  number  of  paid  spies,  and  these 
villains  did  endless  mischief,  and  I  had  much  to  suffer  from 
their  slander. 

The  elder  of  the  two  daughters,  Princess  Charlotte,  who  was 
unmarried,  was  very  beautiful.  She  had  fine  large  blue  eyes,  a 
good  nose,  and  a  small  mouth ;  she  also  had  a  very  pretty  fig- 
ure. All  these  attractions  were  not  enhanced  by  cleverness. 
She  was  really  quite  silly.  She  had  been  educated  by  the  Mar- 
gravine of  Anspach,  who  had  given  herself  endless  trouble  with 
her.  It  had,  however,  all  been  in  vain.  Indeed,  as  soon  as  you 
spoke  with  the  poor  princess  you  discovered  that  she  was  not 
right  in  her  head. 

The  second  daughter,  Wilhelmine,  was  tall  and  well  grown, 
but  not  the  least  good-looking.  She  was  very  pale,  and  had 
unpleasant  features.  She  was  very  clever,  intriguing,  a  co- 
quette, and  jealous.  Wilhelmine  was  her  father's  favorite,  and 


228        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

up  to  the  time  of  ray  arrival  at  Baireuth  had  ruled  him  com- 
pletely. 

Madame  von  Gravenreuter,  the  lady-in-waiting  to  the  prin- 
cesses, was  a  kind  old  soul.  She  was  in  a  great  measure  their 
companion. 

Baron  von  Stein,  first  minister  of  state,  was  of  a  very  good 
old  family.  His  appearance  at  once  impressed  you  with  his 
being  a  man  of  the  world.  He  was  an  honest  man,  but  not 
blessed  with  much  cleverness.  He  always  said"  Yes"  to  every- 
thing. Baron  von  Voit,  my  lord  chamberlain,  was  second  min- 
ister. He  was  a  gentleman  by  birth  and  breeding,  and  had 
travelled  a  good  deal.  He  had  a  very  cultivated  mind,  and  his 
conversation  was  pleasant  and  agreeable.  He  was  both  up- 
right and  honest.  Voit  made  many  enemies  by  his  haughty, 
determined  manner.  He  loved  to  rule,  but  was  wanting  in 
firmness.  We  called  him  "Father  Difficulty,"  for  he  always 
perceived  difficulties  everywhere  and  in  everything. 

M.  von  Fischer,  another  minister  of  state,  had  worked  his 
way  up,  step  by  step,  till  he  had  attained  his  present  position 
and  rank.  He  was  of  a  very  intriguing  nature,  and  gave  him- 
self the  airs  of  a  very  great  gentleman.  He  was  altogether  a 
bad  man,  and  very  ambitious.  The  hatred  he  had  always  borne 
M.  von  Voit  had  now  fallen  on  me,  because  Voit  had  helped 
in  bringing  about  my  marriage  to  Prince  Henry,  and  Fischer 
feared  that  he  would  be  a  support  to  me. 

M.  von  Korff  belonged  to  an  old  Courland  family.  He  was 
a  fool,  more  stupid  than  the  stupid,  but  entirely  convinced  of  his 
own  cleverness.  He  was  selfish  and  intriguing,  and  a  tale-bearer. 

M.  von  Gleichen,  another  Court  official,  was  an  honest  man, 
but  very  tiresome.  His  face  plainly  showed  that  Actaeon's  fate 
was  his  doom. 

Colonel  von  Reitzenstein  had  a  love  of  intrigue,  and  yet  I 
never  saw  a  duller  member  of  society.  His  heart  was  black; 
he  was  selfish,  ill-natured,  and  ready  to  sacrifice  everything  to 
his  ambition,  lie  drank  deeply,  and  was  very  coarse. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        229 

M.  von  Vittingshofen  resembled  Colonel  von  Reit/enstein  in 
everything,  with  the  exception  of  his  being  more  amiable  and  ac- 
commodating. He  had  a  most  uncharitable  tongue,  and  spared 
no  one.  Everybody,  both  prince  and  beggar,  had  to  suffer  from  it. 

The  other  members  of  the  Court  I  pass  over  in  silence,  and  I 
have  mentioned  only  those  who  have  any  connection  with  these 
memoirs.  One  and  all,  they  were,  with  the  exception  of  Von 
Voit,  insupportable.  It  was  impossible  to  converse  with  any  of 
them  on  other  subjects  than  horses  and  cattle.  They  could  in 
no  way  count  as  belonging  to  good  society.  Their  chief  amuse- 
ment was  drinking  from  morning  till  night.  It  is  easily  imag- 
ined what  my  feelings  were  on  this  point. 

The  dinner  was  badly  served,  and  I  could  scarcely  touch  any- 
thing. Nearly  all  the  dishes  were  cooked  with  vinegar  and 
onions. 

We  were  scarcely  half  through  dinner  when  I  became  indis- 
posed, and  had  to  retire  to  my  room.  No  one  had  taken  the 
least  trouble  to  make  things  comfortable  for  me.  My  rooms 
were  not  warmed,  the  windows  were  broken,  and  the  cold  was 
intolerable.  I  spent  a  miserable  night,  and  made  many  sad  re- 
flections on  my  present  position.  I  loved  the  prince  passion- 
ately, but  seemed  transplanted  to  a  new  world,  among  people 
who  were  peasants  rather  than  gentlemen.  Poverty  was  every- 
where apparent,  and  I  sought  in  vain  for  the  riches  I  had  been 
promised.  There  was  nothing  left  but  to  hide  my  aching  heart 
under  a  smiling  face. 

I  held  a  reception  next  day.  I  thought  the  ladies  very  un- 
amiable  and  tiresome.  Baroness  von  Stein  insisted  on  taking 
precedence  of  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  which  annoyed  me 
very  much.  I  complained  to  the  Margrave  about  it,  and  he 
said  he  would  try  to  bring  her  to  reason.  He  did  not,  how- 
ever, succeed,  and  Baroness  von  Stein  never  appeared  again  at 
any  Court  ceremony  when  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  was 
present.  There  were  many  Court  functions  held  in  my  honor, 
and  I  will  describe  one  of  them. 


230        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

The  ceremony  was  ushered  in  by  the  blowing  of  trumpets  at 
three  stated  times  —  viz.,  eleven  and  half -past  eleven  in  the 
morning,  and  noon.  The  second  time  the  trumpets  sounded  the 
hereditary  prince,  accompanied  by  the  Court,  proceeded  to  the 
Margrave's  apartments,  while  the  two  princesses  came  to  mine. 
Soon  afterwards  the  Margrave  and  Court,  all  in  State  dress, 
joined  me.  The  lord  chamberlain,  carrying  his  wand  of  office, 
then  announced  that  all  was  in  readiness,  upon  which  the  Mar- 
grave offered  me  his  hand  and  led  me  to  the  dining-room. 
This  room  was  hung  with  the  same  kind  of  brocade  as  my 
boudoir,  and  the  color  was  equally  faded.  A  table  laid  for 
twenty  people  was  placed  on  a  dais  under  a  canopy,  and  round 
it  stood  a  company  of  soldiers.  I  sat  at  the  upper  end.  All 
the  nobility  and  Court  officials  remained  standing  behind  the 
table  till  after  the  first  course  had  been  served.  It  had  been 
wished  that  my  ladies  should  do  the  same,  but  I  would  not 
hear  of  it.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  the  foreign  envoys, 
the  ministers  and  chief  officials  alone  dined  at  my  table.  I 
drank  the  Margrave's  health  out  of  a  large  goblet,  and  the 
health  of  the  whole  House  of  Brandenburg  was  drunk  with 
all  possible  honors.  This  intolerable  magnificence  lasted  three 
liours,  and  would  have  gone  on  still  longer  had  I  not  felt  ill. 
I  was  feeling  very  unwell,  and  grew  daily  weaker.  Several  fetes 
were  given  in  my  honor,  but  I  was  able  to  be  present  at  them 
only  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

At  last  I  craved  the  Margrave's  permission  to  stay  in  my 
own  rooms,  and  not  to  appear  any  more  at  any  of  these  func- 
tions. Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  kept  me  company.  I  also 
made  an  excuse  for  no  longer  receiving  the  Margrave's  visits. 
lie  would  sit  all  day  long  moralizing  in  my  room.  He  really 
did  it  for  the  purpose  of  observing  how  my  husband  and  I  got 
on  together. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  had  no  reason  to  complain  of  my  fa- 
ther-in-law, and  flattered  myself  that  with  a  little  patience  I 
should  get  on  quite  well  with  him.  But  I  did  not  know  him. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        231 

Princess  Wilhelminc  was  very  jealous  of  the  influence  I  was 
gaining  over  her  father,  and  Fischer  was  equally  vexed  at  it. 
These  two  set  to  work  to  counteract  the  good  understanding 
that  existed  between  the  Margrave  and  myself,  and  I  was  stupid 
enough  to  give  them  the  opportunity.  It  will  be  observed  that 
in  these  memoirs  I  do  not  hesitate  to  mention  my  failings  and 
the  mistakes  I  made. 

Through  my  father's  interposition,  M.  von  Voit  had  been  ap- 
pointed lord  chamberlain  in  my  household.  Hitherto  he  had 
stood  high  in  the  Margrave's  favor.  As  soon,  however,  as  he 
saw  how  devoted  Voit  was  to  Prince  Henry  and  myself,  he  be- 
came jealous  of  him,  and  began  to  take  a  dislike  to  him.  The 
Margrave,  however,  managed  not  to  let  Voit  perceive  this.  M. 
Fischer,  who  hated  him,  stirred  up  the  Margrave's  anger  still 
more  against  him.  He  told  him  that  as  M.  von  Voit  belonged 
to  the  older  nobility  he  would  win  the  hereditary  prince  over 
to  their  side,  which  might  lead  to  deplorable  results.  This  por- 
tion of  the  nobility,  which  was  very  powerful,  might  form  a 
party,  Fischer  proceeded  to  say,  who  might  force  the  Mar- 
grave to  abdicate.  They  might  do  so  with  less  risk,  as  they 
knew  that  the  king,  my  father,  would  be  sure  to  support  Prince 
Henry.  From  all  he  had  heard,  Fischer  continued,  I  was  very 
fond  of  intrigue,  besides  being  very  clever.  The  Margrave, 
therefore,  ran  the  risk  of  sharing  the  fate  of  Victor  Amadeus, 
of  Sardinia. 

The  emperor  was  a  firm  ally  of  my  father's,  and  would  cer- 
tainly help  him.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  this  was  all  a  pure  in- 
vention on  M.  von  Fischer's  part,  without  a  semblance  of  truth. 
Yet  it  fulfilled  its  object.  It  was  to  Fischer's  influence  I  owed 
my  beautiful  reception  on  my  entry  into  Baireuth. 

I  had  scarcely  been  a  fortnight  in  my  new  home  before 
M.  von  Voit  told  me  that  he  had  received  no  reward  or  mark  of 
favor  from  the  Margrave,  though  he  had  been  instrumental  in 
bringing  about  my  marriage.  He  did  not  either  receive  any 
salary,  while  his  position  as  lord  chamberlain  had  caused  him 


232        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

many  great  expenses.  Voit,  therefore,  begged  me  to  intercede 
with  the  Margrave  for  him,  and  to  obtain  for  him  the  post  of 
great  lord  chamberlain.  He  would,  in  that  case,  waive  all  fur- 
ther pecuniary  advantages.  I  thought  his  demand  reasonable, 
and  promised  him  to  speak  with  the  Margrave  when  a  favorable 
opportunity  presented  itself. 

Before  leaving  Berlin  my  father  had  given  me  a  service  of 
silver  plate.  The  Margrave  was  very  anxious  to  see  it,  and  I 
said  jokingly  to  him  he  should  do  so  when  he  came  to  dine 
with  me.  A  few  days  later  I  gave  a  dinner  on  purpose.  I 
heard  afterwards  that  my  father-in-law  was  in  a  very  bad  tem- 
per that  day.  My  service  of  silver  plate  was  much  richer  than 
his,  and  that  irritated  him.  He  however  forced  himself  to  be 
very  civil  to  me,  and  praised  me  incessantly.  Thinking  this  a 
good  moment  I  gave  him  M.  von  Volt's  letter,  supporting  his 
petition  as  strongly  as  I  dared.  The  Margrave  changed  color, 
and  answered  me  very  angrily  that  he  begged  that  I  would 
never  in  future  ask  favors  for  any  one.  He  was  quite  able  to 
judge  for  himself  in  these  matters  without  being  reminded  by 
others.  This  answer  fortunately  took  me  so  much  by  surprise 
that  I  was  unable  to  speak.  I  was,  nevertheless,  furious  with 
my  father-in-law,  and  though  I  kept  my  tongue  in  bounds 
my  face  showed  unmistakably  what  I  felt.  He,  on  the  other 
hand,  looked  like  a  madman,  and  we  soon  left  the  dinner-table. 
Many  that  had  observed  the  occurrence  and  wished  to  preserve 
peace  endeavored  to  restore  the  Margrave's  good  temper  by 
encouraging  him  to  drink,  for  he  was  of  very  intemperate  hab- 
its. He  accordingly  sat  down  with  several  people  belonging  to 
his  Court,  and  remained  there  for  three  hours,  drinking  wine 
with  them.  The  hereditary  prince  was  never  present  on  these 
occasions,  but  always  retired  to  his  rooms  as  soon  as  dinner 
was  over. 

After  dinner  there  was  a  ball.  I  was  almost  choking  with 
rage  at  what  had  taken  place,  and  longed  badly  to  vent  it  on 
some  one.  At  last  I  found  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  and 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        233 

M.  von  Burstell,  who  were  conversing  together  in  ray  boudoir. 
I  told  them  what  had  happened,  and  how  I  had  been  treated. 
I  was  excessively  annoyed,  and  so  were  they.  Burstell  only 
made  me  more  so,  and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  was 
of  a  very  lively  temperament,  added  to  my  anger.  In  her  zeal 
and  devotion  for  me,  she  went  to  the  Margrave  and  reproached 
him  very  respectfully  for  his  conduct  towards  me.  He  an- 
swered her  coldly,  and  she  replied  to  him  again,  till  a  quarrel 
ensued.  It  ended  in  my  father-in-law  leaving  the  ball  in  a 
great  rage,  without  even  bidding  me  good-night. 

Burstell  had  informed  the  hereditary  prince  of  all  that  had 
taken  place,  and  as  he  was  young  and  fiery,  a  "  devil  of  a  row  " 
ensued  in  my  room.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  cried,  and 
the  prince,  Burstell,  and  I  all  spoke  at  once.  I  must  confess  to 
my  own  weakness.  I  had  been  brought  up  in  Berlin  with 
grand  ideas,  and  had  been  destined  to  wear  four  crowns.  How 
these  prospects  were  destroyed  my  narrative  has  already  shown. 
I  imagined  that  my  father  could  make  laws  for  all  other 
princes,  and  that  my  marriage  had  been  a  great  honor  for  the 
Margrave ;  also,  that  he  never  could  treat  me  with  enough  re- 
spect. Burstell  labored  under  the  same  idea.  He  was  very 
clever,  but  too  hot-tempered.  We  were  unable  that  evening  to 
arrive  at  any  conclusion.  Voit,  who  was  very  timid,  and  was 
fearful  I  might  be  induced  to  take  some  hasty  step  which 
would  ruin  him,  prevailed  on  us  to  separate. 

Next  day  Von  Voit  received  a  written  reprimand  from  the 
Margrave,  on  account  of  his  having  chosen  me  as  the  medium 
for  obtaining  favors  from  him.  To  humiliate  him  still  more, 
my  father-in-law  ordered  him  to  return  him  the  order  he  had 
given  him.  He  said  that,  as  he  was  a  Knight  of  the  Order  of 
St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  he  could  not  wear  two  orders  at  the  same 
time.  Chamberlain  von  Reitzenstein  was  intrusted  with  the 
delivery  of  this  message.  After  he  had  fulfilled  his  task  he 
begged  M.  von  Voit  to  tell  us  that  the  Margrave  was  extremely 
angry  with  me,  but  still  more  so  with  Mademoiselle  von  Sonns- 


234        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

feld,  and  that  he  would  write  to  the  king  and  ask  him  to  re- 
call her  from  Baireiith.  Voit  told  us  all  this  in  Burstell's  pres- 
ence, who  wished  at  once  to  send  a  messenger  to  Berlin  with 
letters  informing  the  king  of  this  annoying  occurrence.  I 
quite  agreed  with  his  suggestion,  mistaken  as  it  was.  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld,  however,  prevented  its  being  carried  out. 
She  advised  Burstell,  in  the  presence  of  several  of  the  Mar- 
grave's spies,  to  tell  my  father-in-law  that  he  had  meant  to 
write  to  the  king,  but  at  my  request  had  refrained  from  do- 
ing so. 

The  Margrave  now  pretended  to  be  very  ill.  Our  plan,  how- 
ever, had  fulfilled  its  purpose.  Burstell's  anger  and  my  appar- 
ent generosity  pacified  the  Margrave.  My  father-in-law  wrote 
me  a  most  amiable  letter  next  day,  which  I  answered  in  the 
same  tone,  and  the  matter — outwardly,  at  least — was  set  at  rest. 
The  Margrave  did  not  love  me,  nor  I  him. 

Shortly  after  all  this  I  received  a  letter  from  my  brother. 
It  was  full  of  complaints.  "  My  life  has  hitherto  been  bear- 
able," he  wrote.  "  I  have  lived  quietly  in  garrison.  I  have  had 
my  books  and  my  flute  and  a  few  pleasant  companions.  Now 
I  am  torn  out  of  this  quiet,  and  am  to  be  made  to  marry  a  per- 
son whom  I  have  never  even  seen.  My  consent  has  been  forced 
from  me :  I  am  very  wretched  about  it  all.  My  destined  bride 
is  the  Princess  of  Bevern.  Am  I  always  to  be  tyrannized  over, 
without  even  having  the  hope  of  better  days?  Oh,  if  only 
you,  my  adored  sister,  were  still  here,  I  would  then  bear  every- 
thing patiently  !"  I  was  deeply  touched  by  this  letter.  I  loved 
this  brother  so  ardently,  and  his  return  to  his  old  affectionate 
manner  towards  me  made  me  very  happy. 

Not  long  after  I  had  received  this  letter  I  heard  from  the 
queen  that  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Bevern  and  their  daugh- 
ter had  arrived  at  Berlin,  and  that  my  brother's  betrothal  would 
be  declared  immediately.  My  mother  wrote:  "The  princess  is 
very  handsome,  but  as  stupid  as  a  bundle  of  straw.  I  cannot 
understand  how  your  brother  will  get  on  with  such  a  goose." 


MEMOIRS   OF  THE   MARGRAVINE   OF  BAIREUTH.        235 

This  news  distressed  me  greatly.  It  was  not  alone  grief  at  my 
brother's  sad  fate,  but  it  brought  with  it  many  other  worries  in 
its  train.  Princess  Willie! mine  had  flattered  herself  that  she 
would  marry  the  crown  prince.  In  the  hope  that  I  would 
speak  very  favorably  of  her  to  my  mother,  she  had  been  most 
amiable  towards  me.  Such  an  idea  as  her  marrying  my  broth- 
er had  never  entered  my  mind.  Princess  Wilhelmine  would 
not  in  any  way  have  suited  him  nor  my  family.  She  was  too 
intriguing  and  too  ugly.  The  news  of  the  crown  prince's  en- 
gagement to  the  Princess  of  Bevern  destroyed  all  her  hopes  at 
one  blow.  She  insisted  that  I  had  worked  against  her  inter- 
ests, and  determined  to  revenge  herself. 

A  few  days  later  I  again  received  letters  from  my  mother 
and  my  brother.  They  informed  me  that  the  marriage  had 
been  announced.  My  brother  told  me  further  that  he  had  in- 
duced Duke  Alexander  of  Wurtemberg  to  pass  by  Baireuth,  in 
order  to  tell  me  many  things  which  he  could  not  trust  to  pa- 
per, lie  said  the  duke  had  started  on  the  day  he  wrote.  I 
calculated,  therefore,  that  he  must  reach  Baireuth  that  very 
night,  and  I  sent  and  let  the  Margrave  know  of  the  duke's  arri- 
val. My  father-in-law  sent  me  word  that  he  wished  me  to  do 
the  honors  for  him,  as  he  was  ill  and  should  be  unable  to  leave 
his  room  for  several  days.  This  was  not  true,  but  the  Mar- 
grave disliked  society,  and  especially  that  of  strangers.  That 
very  afternoon  the  Duke  Alexander  sent  us  one  of  his  gentle- 
men to  announce  his  arrival  that  evening.  His  carriage,  how- 
ever, broke  down,  and  he  arrived  only  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 
He  came  at  once  to  see  me,  and  deliver  all  my  brother's  mes- 
sages. He  told  me  that  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  were  more 
powerful  than  ever,  and  that  my  brother's  marriage  was  entire- 
ly their  doing.  The  duke  said  that  the  Princess  of  Bevern  had 
been  very  badly  brought  up  and  had  no  manners  whatever; 
that  she  could  say  only  "  Yes,"  and  "  No,"  and  had  besides  an 
impediment  in  her  speech,  which  made  it  difficult  to  understand 
what  she  said ;  that  my  brother  could  not  bear  her,  and  that 


236        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

it  was  much  to  be  feared  that  the  marriage  would  turn  out  very 
unhappily.  I  spoke  for  an  hour  with  Duke  Alexander,  and 
afterwards  presented  the  two  princesses  to  him.  He  merely 
bowed  to  them,  without  saying  a  word.  The  evening  passed 
so  pleasantly  that  it  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  I 
got  to  bed.  Princess  Wilhelmine  was  extremely  offended  that 
the  duke  had  not  spoken  to  her,  and  was  in  a  very  bad  temper 
all  next  day.  She  quarrelled  with  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld, 
complained  that  I  treated  her  like  a  house-maid,  and  said  I  was 
the  cause  of  the  duke's  not  having  conversed  with  her.  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Sonnsfeld,  who  had  a  very  quick  temper,  came  at 
once  to  me,  and  reproached  me  with  my  behavior  to  the  Prin- 
cess Wilhelmine.  I  was  very  angry  at  this,  and  answered  her 
sharply,  after  which  I  turned  round  and  left  her.  The  duke 
spent  the  whole  day  with  us,  and  left  in  the  evening,  delighted 
with  my  husband  and  myself.  He  was  much  dissatisfied  with 
the  reception  the  Margrave  had  accorded  him.  The  duke  had 
paid  his  respects  to  my  father-in-law  before  leaving. 

The  Margrave  continuing  indisposed  for  some  days  longer, 
Princess  Wilhelmine  sent  a  French  lady  to  see  him.  She  was 
a  bad,  insolent  creature.  Wicked  tongues  pretended  she  was 
the  Margrave's  mistress,  but  I  believe  this  was  not  the  case. 
This  person  had  a  long  conversation  with  the  Margrave,  in  con- 
sequence of  which  Princess  Wilhelmine  was  invited  to  dine 
quite  alone  with  her  father.  She  came  to  see  me  after  dinner 
was  over.  She  appeared  with  red,  swollen  eyes,  so  that  I  in- 
quired kindly  what  was  the  matter,  saying  I  feared  she  had 
had  some  annoyance,  as  I  could  see  she  had  been  crying.  She 
answered  me  most  ironically  that  she  had  no  worries  of  any 
kind.  Her  father  had  been  more  than  kind,  and  she  had  noth- 
ing left  to  wish  for.  She  then  added  that  she  only  had  a  cold. 
I  had  been  too  thoroughly  schooled  in  such  speeches  to  believe 
what  she  said,  and  my  suspicions  were  aroused.  My  surmises 
were  correct,  for  I  soon  discovered  that  Princess  Wilhelmine 
had  been  saying  the  most  cruel  things  of  me  to  everybody. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         237 

She  had  worked  the  Margrave  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  anger 
against  me  that  he  endeavored  to  annoy  me  in  every  possible 
way,  though  before  others  he  always  appeared  to  be  most  de- 
voted to  me.  The  princess  was  not  satisfied  with  trying  to 
make  mischief  between  her  father  and  myself,  but  must  needs 
try  and  gain  her  brother's  favor.  I  have  already  described 
Prince  Henry's  character,  and  have  also  mentioned  that  he  had 
not  had  the  best  of  education.  He  did  not  care  for  any  seri- 
ous occupations,  and  in  this  he  shared  his  sister's  taste.  They 
spent  most  of  the  day  walking  together  in  the  woods;  some- 
times they  went  out  shooting,  and  sometimes  even  amused 
themselves  in  playing  at  childish  games.  I  was  in  a  sad  con- 
dition— so  ill  that  I  spent  nearly  all  my  day  in  bed.  The  bad 
weather  prevented  my  getting  out  into  the  air,  so  that  I  saw 
very  little  of  my  husband,  and  when  he  was  with  me  he  said 
but  little.  Everybody  complained  to  me  of  him.  His  father 
even  said  that  if  he  continued  behaving  as  he  did  he  would 
never  be  fit  to  succeed  him.  All  this  caused  me  great  grief. 
I  often  pretended  to  be  asleep  only  to  be  left  alone.  I  was 
devoted  to  Prince  Henry,  and  it  was  his  friendship  alone  that 
could  make  my  present  existence  bearable.  I  was  not  even 
able  to  buy  myself  a  dress.  I  had  received  my  two  quarters' 
allowance  in  advance  before  leaving  Berlin ;  but  this  sum  had 
all  been  spent  in  necessary  presents,  towards  which  the  king 
and  queen  had  never  given  me  a  penny.  I  was  like  a  lamb 
among  wolves.  I  was  settled  in  a  strange  country,  at  a  court 
which  more  resembled  a  peasant's  farm,  surrounded  by  coarse, 
bad,  dangerous,  and  tiresome  people.  I  had  no  amusements  or 
distractions  of  any  kind.  I  was  daily  plagued  by  bodily  suf- 
fering, and  tormented  on  all  sides.  I  often  complained  about 
it  all  to  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  tried  to  comfort  me, 
but  she  was  really  as  unhappy  as  I. 

It  is  but  fair  that,  after  writing  of  so  much  that  is  sad,  I 
should  for  once  try  and  paint  some  funny  pictures,  and  dry 
my  eyes  for  a  little  while.  St.  George's  Day  was  approaching. 


238         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKtiKAVINE    OF    liAIKBUTU. 

It  was  on  this  saint's  day  that  the  Margrave  George  Christian 
had  instituted  the  order  of  the  Red  Eagle,  in  remembrance  of 
which  a  great  fete  was  held  every  year  on  that  day,  and  my 
father-in-law  appointed  new  knights  of  the  order.  This  order 
was  thought  very  highly  of,  and  given  only  to  persons  of  the 
highest  rank,  and  it  was  considered  a  great  distinction  to  receive 
knighthood.  Although  I  was  more  dead  than  alive,  I  had  my- 
self transported  to  the  Brandenburg  House,  a  castle  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour's  drive  from  Baireuth.  This  castle  de- 
serves a  description  of  its  own.  A  beautiful  avenue  of  limes 
leads  to  the  castle,  which  lies  between  two  gardens.  The  chief 
building  is  of  stone,  and  you  pass  into  it  through  an  archway. 
The  staircase  is  very  fine.  The  outside  of  the  house  has  many 
faults.  The  two  wings  are  not  of  stone,  and  Margrave  George 
Wilhelm  had  made  a  plan  for  building  two  new  wings.  The 
inside  of  the  castle  contains  one  fine,  large,  well-proportioned 
room,  having  eight  smaller  apartments  on  each  side  of  it,  open- 
ing one  into  the  other.  This  is  a  very  inconvenient  arrange- 
ment. The  rooms  were  all  badly  furnished,  like  those  in  the 
Castle  at  Baireuth.  One  of  the  gardens  is  bordered  by  a  lake, 
on  which  charming  gondolas  were  anchored  in  the  little  bay 
formed  by  an  island.  The  whole  position  is  most  lovely. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  St.  George's  Day  all  the  cannons 
were  fired  in  the  harbor,  and  were  answered  by  those  on  the 
boats.  Then  three  flourishes  of  trumpets  were  blown,  and  af- 
ter the  third  the  hereditary  prince  and  all  the  Knights  of  the 
Red  Eagle  proceeded  to  church.  After  church  the  prince  came 
to  see  me,  and  we  then  went  together,  accompanied  by  the 
whole  Court  and  all  the  ladies  of  the  town,  to  congratulate  the 
Margrave,  and  to  be  present  when  the  new  knights  were  cre- 
ated. The  Margrave,  beautifully  dressed,  stood  leaning  against 
a  table  which  had  been  placed  there  on  purpose.  He  really 
imagined  he  was  emperor,  and  affected  during  these  days  an 
imperial  manner.  His  serious,  majestic  demeanor  was  intended 
to  impress  every  one  very  much,  but  it  really  made  him  appear 


MEMOIRS    OP   TUB    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        239 

most  ridiculous.  To  me  he  appeared  more  like  a  clown  than 
an  emperor.  When  the  Margrave  had  received  the  empty 
compliments  of  all  present,  he  caused  three  or  four  gentlemen 
to  he  called  into  his  presence,  to  whom  he  gave  orders.  He 
addressed  them  in  turn  in  very  ill-chosen,  badly  expressed  lan- 
guage. Then  there  were  fresh  salvos  fired,  and  the  trumpets 
blew  again,  and  after  this  there  was  a  great  noise.  We  all  went 
to  dinner.  Every  health  that  was  drunk  was  accompanied  by 
the  firing  of  cannon.  I  was  present  only  for  a  few  moments  at 
the  dinner.  Everybody  drank  a  great  deal  too  much  wine,  and 
in  the  evening  there  was  a  ball.  I  was  not  present  at  it,  being 
too  unwell.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  had  sprained  her 
ankle,  so  she  stayed  with  me.  Though  it  was  the  end  of  April, 
it  was  so  cold  that  we  had  to  have  fires  everywhere.  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld's  room  caught  fire,  and  the  flames  spread 
to  my  anteroom.  It  was  happily  soon  put  out,  and  so  quietly, 
too,  that  I  knew  nothing  of  it  till  next  day.  This  accident  put 
an  end  to  the  fetes  which  were  to  take  place,  and  we  returned 
to  Baireuth,  to  my  great  joy,  for  the  cold  had  done  me  much 
harm. 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  now  reminded  the  Margrave 
that,  as  my  confinement  would  take  place  in  a  few  months,  he 
must  command  that  I  should  be  prayed  for  in  all  the  churches.* 
The  Margrave  ridiculed  the  bare  idea  of  his  soon  becoming  a 
grandfather,  and  laughed  at  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld.  The 
prospect  of  an  heir,  however,  caused  great  joy  throughout  the 
land.  This  annoyed  my  father-in-law  extremely,  and  he  said 
lie  hoped  I  should  have  a  daughter,  as  if  I  had  a  son  he  should 
be  obliged  to  increase  our  income.  His  bad  temper  was  only 
increased  by  the  news  brought  by  M.  von  Fischer's  emissaries, 
who  constantly  told  the  Margrave  that  his  son  was  far  more 
popular  than  he  was,  and  that  everybody  looked  up  to  the 
prince  as  the  rising  sun.  My  father-in-law's  fury  against  his 

*  This  is  still  done  for  royal  personages  in  Germany  on  these  occasions. 


240        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

son  increased  day  by  day.  On  one  occasion  he  took  him  into 
his  own  room,  and  reproached  him  bitterly  with  his  supposed 
intrigues,  and  the  plots  he  had  been  said  to  have  made  with  the 
nobility  of  the  empire.  The  hereditary  prince  could  not  un- 
derstand what  his  father  meant,  and  told  him  that  he  had  never 
done  anything  of  the  sort :  it  was  the  invention  of  ill-intention- 
ed people,  who  wished  to  create  a  bad  feeling  between  them. 
Prince  Henry  asked  the  Margrave  to  inquire  into  his  conduct, 
as  he  was  ready  and  able  at  any  moment  to  prove  his  inno- 
cence. Instead  of  being  pacified  by  this  answer  the  Margrave 
flew  into  a  violent  passion,  which  might  have  had  disastrous  re- 
sults had  I  not  interfered.  I  found  my  father-in-law  holding 
my  husband  by  his  collar,  and  had  Prince  Henry  not  been  the 
stronger  of  the  two,  and  caught  hold  of  his  father's  hands,  I  am 
sure  the  Margrave  would  have  struck  him.  My  horror  is  easily 
to  be  understood.  My  presence  prevented  the  Margrave  from 
attempting  any  violence;  for  in  spite  of  the  hatred  he  bore  me 
he  stood  in  great  awe  of  me,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  me  he 
turned  round  and  left  the  room.  The  whole  scene  had  upset 
me  so  much  that  I  fell  into  a  deep  swoon,  which  lasted  some 
time.  The  hereditary  prince  was  in  a  terrible  state  of  mind, 
and  furious  with  his  father;  but  he  had  so  kind  and  good  a 
heart  that  I  persuaded  him  to  make  it  all  up  with  his  father 
next  day.  I  availed  myself  of  this  opportunity,  and  had  a 
long  conversation  with  the  Margrave,  in  which  I  represented  to 
him  the  harm  he  did  himself  by  treating  his  son  in  such  a  man- 
ner. I  told  him  that  the  fright  he  had  caused  me  by  this  ter- 
rible scene  might  have  very  grave  consequences  in  my  present 
state  of  health ;  that  if  anything  went  wrong  I  should  hold 
him  answerable  for  the  death  of  my  child.  My  father-in-law 
made  me  many  civil  speeches,  which  I  was  obliged  to  accept  as 
heartfelt,  but  matters  remained  unchanged. 

I  was  bled  next  day,  and  had  to  keep  my  bed  for  about  a 
week.  During  this  time  Princess  Wilhelmine  was  very  assidu- 
ous in  her  attentions  to  me.  I  saw  at  once  that  she  had  some 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MAKGKAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        241 

end  in  view,  but  what  it  was  I  could  not  discover.  At  last  one 
morning  she  came  to  me,  and  said  she  wished  to  speak  to  me 
quite  alone.  After  I  had  sent  every  one  out  of  the  room,  she 
began  by  saying  that,  being  well  aware  of  my  affectionate  in- 
terest in  her,  she  sought  my  help  in  a  matter  of  some  moment. 
She  begged  me  to  induce  her  father  to  think  of  a  marriage  for 
her.  She  went  on  to  tell  me  that  she  knew  her  cousin,  the 
hereditary  Prince  of  East  Fnesland,*  and  that  when  children 
they  bad  been  very  devoted  to  each  other.  She  was  still  very 
fond  of  him,  and  she  knew  that  her  aunt,  the  Princess  of  East 
Fnesland,  wished  the  marriage  extremely.  Her  aunt  had  often 
asked  the  Margrave  to  let  Princess  Wilhelmme  go  and  stay  with 
her,  and  had  promised  to  treat  her  like  her  own  daughter,  and 
provide  for  her  as  such,  as  she  had  no  daughters  of  her  own. 
My  sister-in-law  spoke  her  mind  very  plainly  about  her  father, 
and  complained  that  he  took  no  trouble  whatever  to  think  of 
her  future.  She  should  never  have  the  courage  to  speak  to  him 
herself  on  the  subject,  she  said,  so  that  she  implored  me  to  do 
so,  and  to  arrange  that  she  might  be  allowed  to  visit  her  aunt 
at  Aurich.  I  strongly  suspected  that  this  whole  business  was 
some  trick  or  other  played  in  the  hope  of  getting  me  into  some 
difficulty,  and  was  therefore  much  perplexed  what  answer  I 
should  make.  I  replied  that,  notwithstanding  my  wish  to  help 
her  as  much  as  lay  in  my  power,  I  saw  many  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  carrying  out  her  plan.  I  said  that  I  had  never  mixed 
myself  up  in  marriage  intrigues  and  never  would,  and  still  less 
in  being  a  party  to  her  leaving  Baireuth.  I  advised  her  to  con- 
sider seriously  the  step  she  wished  to  take,  and  not  to  enter  on 
any  negotiations  before  receiving  satisfactory  assurances  from 
East  Friesland.  Should  her  cousin,  the  hereditary  prince,  have 
changed  his  mind,  or  should  he  no  longer  please  her  when  she 
saw  him  again,  she  would,  having  once  undertaken  the  journey 
for  that  purpose,  feel  herself  bound  in  honor  to  marry  "him.  I 

*  A  province  of  Hanover. 


242         MEMOIRS    OF   TIIE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

entreated  her  to  reflect  well  over  it  all.  Princess  Wilhelmine 
answered  that  she  had  considered  it  all  well, 'and  weighed  every 
point,  and  I  must  therefore  bear  her  great  ill-will  to  desert  her 
in  this  manner.  Upon  this  she  began  to  cry,  and  renewed  her 
entreaties,  till  I  at  last  gave  way  and  promised  her  to  speak  to 
the  Margrave.  When  I  did  so  my  father-in-law  was  much  sur- 
prised, and  sent  for  his  daughter,  who  agreed  with  me  in  all  I 
had  said,  and  pressed  him  to  grant  her  request.  He  at  last 
consented,  but  only  on  condition  that  he  should  first  receive  the 
necessary  assurances  with  respect  to  the  marriage.  He  said  he 
would  write  that  very  evening  to  the  Princess  of  Friesland  on 
the  subject. 

About  this  time  the  emperor  had  gone  to  Carlsbad  for  the 
health  of  the  empress.  Their  only  son  had  died  .in  1716,  and 
they  had  left  only  three  daughters.  People  hoped  Carlsbad 
would  restore  the  empress's  health,  and  that  consequently  an- 
other son  might  yet  be  born  to  them.  This  was  the  earnest 
hope  of  the  whole  of  Germany.  Several  evil  advisers  induced 
my  father-in-law  to  go  to  Carlsbad,  and  pay  his  respects  to  the 
emperor.  The  hereditary  prince  was  most  desirous  of  accom- 
panying his  father,  and  received  a  reluctant  permission  to  do 
so.  They  started  at  last  with  a  small  suite,  and  returned  home 
again  after  a  fortnight.  The  emperor  and  empress  had  taken 
a  great  deal  of  notice  of  my  husband,  and  had  talked  almost 
entirely  to  him.  The  prince  had,  on  the  other  hand,  been  very 
much  bored,  as  the  Margrave  would  not  allow  him  to  mix  with 
the  society  at  Carlsbad.  After  my  father-in-law's  and  Prince 
Henry's  return  we  all  went  to  the  Hermitage,  a  perfectly  unique 
country-seat  near  Baireuth.  After  the  Margrave's  death  my  hus- 
band made  a  present  of  it  to  me,  and  I  did  a  great  deal  to  it. 
The  Hermitage  was  afterwards  considered  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful castles  in  Germany.  I  will  give  a  description  of  it  later  on. 
During  our  stay  at  the  Hermitage,  the  Princess  of  Wcikershcim 
paid  me  a  visit.  She  was  first  cousin  to  the  empress,  and  had 
married  the  Prince  Hoheulohe-Weikersheim.  His  first  wife 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         243 

bad  been  a  princess  of  Culmbach,  the  Margrave  of  Baireuth's 
sister.  The  Princess  of  Weikersheim  was  ugly,  but  she  seemed 
to  me  to  be  very  clever.  The  Margrave  was  exceedingly  fond 
of  her,  and  she  had  great  influence  with  him.  Poor  Princess 
Charlotte  was  in  a  most  depressed  state,  and  often  complained 
to  me  of  the  ill-treatment  she  received  from  her  father  and  sis- 
ter. She  had  really  much  to  bear  from  them  ;  for  the  Margrave 
disliked  her,  and  Princess  Wilhelmine,  who  was  of  a  very  jeal 
ous  nature,  treated  her  sister  like  a  common  servant.  I  was  un- 
able to  make  the  poor  princess's  position  any  pleasanter.  She 
knew  the  Princess  of  Weikersheim,  and  confided  her  woes  to 
her.  This  princess  offered  to  take  her  with  her  for  three  weeks, 
till  such  time  as  Princess  Wilhelmine  should  have  left  Baireuth. 
The  Princess  of  East  Friesland  had  answered  the  Margrave  that 
nothing  would  please  her  more  than  a  marriage  between  their 
respective  children.  She  expected  her  niece's  arrival  with  im- 
patience, and  should  the  young  people  please  each  other  on 
nearer  acquaintance  the  betrothal  was  then  to  be  announced. 
The  Margrave  was  overjoyed  at  the  prospect  of  getting  rid  of 
his  eldest  daughter.  He  came  at  once  and  told  me  that  she 
would  leave  in  a  few  days,  with  the  Princess  of  Weikersheim. 

The  great  friendship  existing  between  rny  husband  and 
Princess  Wilhelmine  gradually  cooled  down.  lie  had  reason 
to  find  fault  with  her  general  conduct,  added  to  which  her 
constant  intrigues,  and  the  ill  -  natured  things  she  was  always 
saying  of  me,  made  him  very  angry.  The  hereditary  prince 
now  scarcely  left  my  side,  and  was  full  of  tenderness  and  at- 
tention towards  me.  I  imagined  this  change  of  manner  had 
in  some  measure  been  caused  by  Princess  Wilhclmine's  inten- 
tion of  going  to  East  Friesland.  Up  to  this  time  she  had  flat- 
tered herself  that  she  was  all-powerful  with  her  brother,  and 
had  succeeded  in  making  me  quite  subordinate  to  her.  Find- 
ing out,  however,  that  she  had  made  a  great  mistake,  she  pre- 
ferred marriage  with  the  Prince  of  East  Friesland  to  remain- 
ing at  Baireuth,  She  accordingly  took  her  departure,  and  was 


244        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

much  missed  by  her  father  and  the  scandal  -  mongers  of  the 
Court.  The  Margrave  accompanied  his  daughter  as  far  as 
Himrnelscron,  where  he  took  leave  of  her.  The  hereditary 
prince  and  I  remained  at  the  Hermitage,  where  we  spent  some 
quiet  days.  Our  peaceful  existence  was  not  of  long  duration, 
for  the  Margrave's  return  put  an  end  to  it.  Not  a  day  passed 
that  I  was  not  annoyed  in  some  way  or  other,  and  I  lived  in  a 
state  of  perpetual  constraint. 

M.  von  Burstell  had  returned  to  Berlin  much  displeased 
with  the  Margrave,  who  had  before  his  departure  treated  him 
most  unbecomingly.  In  spite  of  my  entreaties,  he  informed 
my  father  of  all  that  had  taken  place.  The  king  had  a  very 
tender  heart,  and  the  description  of  my  position  at  Baireuth 
distressed  him  greatly — more  especially  the  accounts  of  my 
wretched  state  of  health.  He  himself  wrote  me  a  most  touch- 
ing letter.  This  was  a  mark  of  favor  shown  only  to  those  for 
whom  he  really  had  an  affection.  He  wrote  as  follows :  "  I 
am  much  grieved,  dearest  daughter,  to  hear  how  much  you  are 
teased  and  plagued.  Though  you  have  yourself  never  men- 
tioned it  to  me,  I  am  well  aware  that  you  are  quite  ill  through  it 
all.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  you  should  come  here  to 
your  loving  parents.  I  will  have  comfortable  apartments  pre- 
pared for  you,  so  that  your  confinement  may  take  place  here. 
You  can  count  on  my  friendship  and  affection  as  long  as  I  live, 
and  I  will  provide  for  you  in  every  way."  These  are  my  fa- 
ther's own  words.  I  received  many  similar  letters  from  him. 

I  was  as  ill  as  possible.  My  patience  and  Prince  Henry's 
was  nearly  exhausted.  We  could  not  stir  without  the  Mar- 
grave's permission.  If  the  prince  rode  out  two  days  running 
there  was  no  end  to  the  scoldings,  and  he  was  told  that  he 
ruined  the  horses,  and  should  have  no  more  to  ride.  If  he 
went  out  shooting  ho  was  informed  that  he  disturbed  the 
game.  If  he  stayed  at  home  he  was  accused  of  making  plots 
and  intrigues.  In  one  word,  whatever  he  did  or  said  was  con- 
sidered a  crime.  We  were  held  up  to  scorn  and  derision.  To 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OP    I5ATREUTH.         245 

escape  from  all  this  we  determined  to  go  to  Berlin.  I  there- 
fore begged  the  king  to  write  to  the  Margrave  on  the  subject. 
lie  did  so  most  urgently,  and  my  father-in-law  at  once  granted 
us  permission.  This  alone,  however,  was  not  of  much  use,  for 
we  had  no  money,  and  no  one  would  lend  us  any.  Berlin  was 
forty-two  German  miles*  from  Baireuth.  My  state  of  health 
compelled  us  to  travel  by  short  stages,  so  that  it  would  certain- 
ly take  us  ten  days  to  reach  Berlin.  I  spoke  to  the  Margrave 
on  the  subject,  and  he  said  he  would  procure  the  money  neces- 
sary for  the  journey,  and  told  me  not  to  trouble  about  it. 
Next  day  he  sent  me  word  that  he  had  had  one  thousand  flo- 
rins put  to  my  account.  This  sum  would  have  covered  only 
half  the  expense  of  the  journey.  I  collected  the  other  half 
from  my  ladies'  purses  and  my  poor  servants." 

Many  people  blamed  my  father-in-law  for  allowing  me  to 
undertake  this  journey  in  my  present  condition.  It  was  now 
the  end  of  June,  and  I  expected  my  confinement  in  August. 
The  people  of  Baireuth  were  loud  in  their  complaints,  for  they 
wished  much  for  an  heir  to  the  principality.  The  Margrave 
was  at  Himmelscron,  his  favorite  residence,  and  as  it  was  on 
the  road  to  Berlin  we  were  to  take  leave  of  him  there.  He  at- 
tached the  greatest  importance  to  what  the  world  said  of  him, 
and  as  he  wished  to  justify  himself  in  the  eyes  of  the  public 
for  letting  me  undertake  this  journey,  he  sent  M.  von  Dabeneck 
to  see  me,  and  try  and  persuade  me  to  remain  at  Baireuth. 
He  did  not,  however,  succeed  in  his  mission.  I  thanked  him 
most  civilly  for  the  kind  messages  he  brought  me  from  the 
Margrave,  but  remained  firm  in  my  intentions  to  go  to  Berlin. 
I  excused  myself  for  doing  so  by  explaining  to  him  how  great 
my  longing  was  to  see  my  family  again,  and  by  mentioning 
that  the  king  looked  on  my  visit  as  a  settled  thing.  We  started 
next  morning,  and  arrived  at  Himmelscron  that  same  evening. 
The  Margrave  received  us  most  kindly  and  with  every  mark  of 

*  Eighty-eight  English  miles. 


246        MEMOIKS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

affection.  A  Hessian  gentleman,  M.  von  Babenhausen,  hap- 
pened to  be  at  Himmelscron  the  day  we  were  there.  He  was 
an  honest,  clever  man,  who  at  once  knew  with  what  people  he 
had  to  deal.  He  had  never  seen  rne  before,  but  thought  me 
looking  so  ill  that  he  endeavored  to  induce  the  Margrave  to 
prevent  my  continuing  my  journey.  My  father-in-law's  physi- 
cian also  urged  the  necessity  of  my  remaining,  saying  that  if  I 
went  to  Berlin  my  coffin  would  have  to  be  prepared  for  me. 
Representations  were  made  to  the  hereditary  prince  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  indeed  circumstances  all  combined  to  put  an  end  to 
my  project.  I  was,  fortunately  as  it  turned  out,  obliged  to 
give  up  the  journey  and  return  to  Baireuth. 

I  was  indeed  in  a  deplorable  condition,  and  tormented  by 
bodily  sufferings.  The  doctors  were  very  stupid,  and  refused 
to  bleed  me. 

Himmelscron  had  formerly  been  a  convent.  After  it  had 
become  Protestant  the  abbess  gave  her  nuns  their  freedom,  and 
on  her  death  Himmelscron  fell  to  Culmbach.  It  is  very  pret- 
tily situated,  and  a  new  wing  has  been  added  to  the  old  build- 
ing. The  house  itself  was  very  comfortable,  but  there  were 
no  walks  round  about  it.  There  is  only  a  mall,  which  is  nearly 
as  fine  as  that  at  Utrecht.  The  Margrave  had  made  a  heronry, 
and  the  birds  could  be  seen  from  the  castle.  Life  at  Himmels- 
cron was  dull  in  the  extreme.  There  was  nobody  to  converse 
with,  and  the  whole  day  long  one  was  disturbed  by  the  per- 
petual blowing  of  horns.  This  dreadful  noise  disturbed  the 
only  relaxation  I  enjoyed,  viz.,  being  read  aloud  to.  Mademoi- 
selle von  Marwitz,  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld's  niece,  was  my 
reader. 

This  young  lady's  education  had  been  provided  for  by 
Countess  Finkenstein.  She  had  fallen  into  bad  hands,  was 
wanting  in  manner  as  well  as  in  grace,  and  was  besides  ex- 
tremely frivolous.  She  had  become  much  attached  to  me,  and 
endeavored  to  please  me  in  every  way  she  could.  I  was  much 
touched  at  this,  and  determined  to  try  and  educate  her,  or 


MEMOIRS  OP  THE  MARGRAVINE  OP  BAIREUTH.      247 

rather  to  supply  these  wants  in  her  education.  I  succeeded 
far  beyond  my  expectations,  and  in  the  course  of  these  me- 
moirs shall  often  have  occasion  to  speak  of  Mademoiselle  von 
Marwitz.  We  remained  for  weeks  at  this  tiresome  place  Him- 
melscron,  till  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  we  had  been  there  for  cen- 
turies. As  last  a  large  shooting-party  which  assembled  at  Selb, 
a  small  town  on  the  borders  of  Bohemia,  brought  us  some 
change.  The  Margrave  and  his  son  went  to  Selb,  and  I  re- 
turned to  the  Hermitage.  I  arrived  there  so  ill  that  my 
premature  confinement  was  hourly  expected.  My  good  con- 
stitution, however,  and  the  loving  care  and  attention  I  received 
prevented  it,  and  I  felt  better  next  day. 

In  the  evening  a  message  reached  me  from  the  king,  my  fa- 
ther, saying  that  he  hoped  to  arrive  at  the  Hermitage  in  two 
days.  This  joyful  intelligence  did  much  towards  restoring  my 
failing  strength.  My  father  came  from  Prague.  He  had  had 
a  meeting  with  the  emperor  at  a  small  village  called  Altdorf, 
not  far  from  that  city.  A  large  room  had  been  built  for  the 
purpose,  with  two  separate  entrances.  It  had  been  intended 
that  the  emperor  and  empress  and  the  king  should  arrive  si- 
multaneously, and  that  the  two  sovereigns  should  enter  the 
room  by  their  respective  doors.  However,  in  spite  of  all  that 
had  been  arranged,  my  father  arrived  two  hours  before  the  ap- 
pointed time,  and  on  the  emperor's  arrival  came  forward  in  the 
most  friendly  manner  to  greet  him.  This  was  quite  contrary 
to  the  prescribed  etiquette,  and  Grumkow  has  often  since  told 
me  how  annoyed  he  was  that  my  father  should  have  acted  in  a 
manner  derogatory  to  his  dignity.  As  soon  as  I  heard  of  my 
father's  intention  of  coming  to  the  Hermitage,  I  let  the  Mar- 
grave know  of  it.  He  sent  me  back  word  to  have  everything 
prepared  for  the  king's  reception,  and  that  he  himself  would 
meet  him  at  Selb,  which  was  on  the  king's  road,  and  accom- 
pany him  to  the  Hermitage.  This  was  quite  a  small  castle. 
It  had  one  large  room  with  two  smaller  ones  attached  to  it  in 
the  main  building,  and  the  two  wings  each  contained  four  small 


248        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREDTH. 

rooms,  or  rather  cells.  When  the  Margrave  and  ourselves  lived 
there  it  was  already  a  tight  squeeze.  About  a  hundred  yards 
from  it  was  the  dairy  farm,  where  a  small  but  comfortable  house 
had  been  built.  I  had  this  arranged  for  the  Margrave,  and  pre- 
pared some  rooms  in  the  castle  for  the  ting.  Margrave  Albert, 
brother  of  the  king,  and  the  Prince  of  Gotha,  who  were  to  ac- 
company him,  I  intended  to  lodge  in  the  same  house  with  my 
father-in-Jaw.  I  thought  and  hoped  I  had  arranged  all  to  ev- 
erybody's satisfaction,  when  a  circumstance  arose  which  caused 
me  great  annoyance. 

The  evening  before  the  king's  arrival  M.  von  Bindemann, 
the  only  gentleman  left  in  attendance  on  myself,  received  a 
messenger  announcing  the  arrival  that  evening  of  the  Margrave 
of  Anspach  and  his  wife,  accompanied  by  a  suite  of  a  hundred 
persons.  Bindemann  was  an  excellent  man,  but  certainly  had 
not  invented  gunpowder.  When  he  was,  therefore,  confronted 
with  the  difficulty  of  how  to  lodge  these  new  and  unexpected 
guests,  he  completely  lost  his  head.  He  informed  Baron  von 
Seckendorf,  chamberlain  to  the  Margrave  of  Anspach,  that  al- 
though his  master  was  delighted  at  the  visit  and  would  receive 
it  with  pleasure,  it  would,  at  this  moment,  be  most  incon- 
venient. There  was  already  difficulty  enough  in  finding  suita- 
ble accommodation  for  the  king,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to 
find  room  for  the  Margrave  and  Margravine  and  their  suite. 
Bindemann  told  me  only  next  day  of  my  sister's  visit.  I  in- 
stantly sent  my  father-in-law  word  of  it,  and  begged  for  instruc- 
tions as  to  where  the  party  were  to  be  lodged.  I  represented 
to  him  how  much  offended  both  my  sister  and  the  Margrave 
would  be  if  they  had  not  apartments  at  the  Hermitage.  As 
there  were,  however,  no  more  unoccupied  rooms  in  the  castle, 
I  proposed  they  should  go  to  Monplaisir,  the  house  at  the  farm. 
I  said  I  would  give  up  my  own  rooms  to  my  father-in-law,  and 
live  with  my  husband  in  his  apartments.  I  felt  sure  he  would 
not  agree  to  this  plan,  and  I  could  not  have  carried  it  out,  as  I 
-was  too  ill  to  leave  my  bed.  My  father-in-law  answered  me  in 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTII.        249 

a  few  hours,  saying  he  would  not  hear  of  my  turning  out  of 
my  rooms,  and  that  I  was  to  have  one  of  the  small  cells  in  one 
of  the  wings  prepared  for  him. 

When  the  evening  came  I  left  my  bed  with  the  utmost  ex- 
ertion, and  went,  weak  as  I  was,  into  the  avenue  to  meet  my 
sister.  It  was  already  past  eight  o'clock,  and  no  one  arrived. 
I  sent  off  numerous  messengers  on  horseback  to  find  out  what 
caused  the  delay,  as  I  feared  some  accident  had  happened.  I 
waited  in  vain  till  past  ten,  when  M.  von  Bindemann,  observing 
my  anxiety,  smilingly  said  to  me  that  I  could  be  quite  easy, 
as  my  sister  would  not  come.  I  was  greatly  surprised  at  this 
remark,  and  asked  him  how  he  knew  this,  upon  which  he 
answered, "  Because  I  let  Chamberlain  von  Seckendorf  know  so 
and  so.  I  expect  they  will  have  turned  back."  He  said  this 
referring  to  the  message  he  had  sent,  which  I  mentioned  be- 
fore. Although  I  had  not  looked  forward  to  the  visit  of  my 
Anspach  relations  with  any  particular  pleasure,  as  I  knew  my 
brother-in-law  would  have  disputes  with  the  king,  still  Binde- 
mann's  stupidity  vexed  me  much.  I  foresaw  the  results,  and 
was  not  mistaken  in  them.  Soon  after,  Baron  von  Seckendorf 
arrived.  He  was  a  bad  man,  and  the  cause  of  all  my  sister's 
unhappiness.  He  it  was  who  had  sown  disunion  between  her 
and  her  husband.  He  brought  me  very  angry  messages,  and 
said  that  he  had  never  known  anybody  treat  a  member  of  the 
royal  family  in  such  a  manner.  He  told  me  that  my  sister 
was  furious  with  me,  and  that  this  occurrence  would  make  a 
lasting  breach  between  the  two  families.  My  sister  had  de- 
clared that  she  would  never  set  her  foot  in  Baireuth.  Baron 
von  Seckendorf  then  added  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  king 
to  inform  him  of  the  insult  the  Margrave  and  Margravine  had 
received.  It  had  been  by  the  king's  desire  that  they  were 
coming  to  the  Hermitage,  and  that  he  was  sure  my  father 
would  greatly  blame  my  behavior. 

I  explained  Bindemann's  conduct  to  him,  and  sent  him  to 
Monplaisir,  that  he  might  see  for  himself  with  what  trouble  I 


250        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

had  arranged  everything  for  my  sister's  reception.  I  also  sent 
the  postmaster  word  not  to  let  Seckendorf  have  any  horses  un- 
der any  pretext  whatever.  I  did  this  purposely,  in  order  that, 
should  it  be  true  that  he  was  sent  with  a  message  to  the  king, 
he  might  be  unable  to  leave  the  Hermitage.  I  at  once  in- 
formed my  father-in-law  of  this  most  annoying  occurrence,  and 
sent  for  M.  von  Gleichen,  who  lived  only  a  few  miles  off.  I 
intrusted  him  with  letters  to  the  Margrave  and  my  sister,  and 
sent  him  straight  off  to  Anspach.  My  letters  contained  many 
apologies  that  such  a  sad  misunderstanding  should  have  taken 
place,  and  I  at  the  same  time  sent  them  a  pressing  invitation 
to  come  to  the  Hermitage.  I  further  entreated  M.  von  Gleichen 
to  be  sure  and  see  that  the  whole  matter  was  cleared  up.  I 
spent  a  cruel  night.  My  father  was  the  only  support  I  had  on 
earth,  and  I  saw  the  moment  arrive  when  he  might  again  treat 
me  unkindly,  which  would  be  far  more  painful  to  me  were  it 
to  happen  at  Baircuth  than  at  Berlin.  His  anger  was  only  too 
easily  roused,  and  I  knew  the  Margrave  of  Anspach  would  do 
all  he  could  to  provoke  it.  M.  von  Gleichen  returned  in  two 
hours,  bringing  me  most  kind  answers  to  my  letters,  but  a  de- 
cided refusal  to  my  invitation.  He  assured  me  that  he  had 
been  able  entirely  to  exonerate  me  in  the  eyes  of  my  sister  and 
brother-in-law,  but  that  they  would  not  believe  that  M.  von 
Bindemann  had  not  acted  by  my  father-in-law's  orders. 

The  king  arrived  on  the  6th  of  August.  He  received  me 
most  graciously,  but  seemed  much  moved  by  the  painful  alter- 
ation in  my  appearance.  He  would  not  let  me  accompany  him 
to  his  room,  bat  insisted  on  taking  me  to  mine.  I  kissed  his 
dear  hands  over  and  over  again,  and  neve"r  wearied  of  showing 
him  my  great  joy  at  seeing  him  again.  As  soon  as  I  was  alone 
with  him,  I  told  him  in  the  most  natural  way  possible  all  about 
the  unfortunate  misunderstanding  with  my  Anspach  relations, 
and  begged  him  to  set  matters  right  with  them.  I  also  showed 
him  the  letters  M.  von  Gleichen  had  brought  me.  My  father 
said,  "  It  is  very  annoying  that  Bindemann  should  have  been 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        251 

so  stupid,  but  still  more  so  that  you  should  have  to  do  with 
people  who  have  no  common-sense.  The  Margrave  of  Anspach 
fancies  himself  a  second  Louis  XV.,  and  he  thinks  you  should 
have  come  and  made  your  excuses  in  person  to  him.  He  is  a 
fool.  I  am  very  glad  you  took  the  initiative.  I  shall  let  them 
know  they  are  to  come  here,  and  if  they  will  not,  then  the 
devil  take  them  !"  My  father  then  left  me,  and  desired  Baron 
von  Seckendorf  to  send  off  a  messenger  at  once  to  Anspach,  to 
tell  his  children  to  come  and  see  him.  Grumkow  and  the 
Austrian  minister,  Seckendorf,  were  in  the  king's  suite.  I  re- 
ceived them  very  graciously.  They  brought  me  many  flatter- 
ing messages  from  the  empress,  who  had  spoken  of  me  in  most 
laudatory  terms.  The  king,  who  had  been  listening  to  the  con- 
versation, now  came  up  to  where  we  were  standing,  and  said, 
"  You  have  every  reason  to  be  grateful  to  the  empress,  my  dear 
daughter ;  you  should  write  and  express  your  gratitude  to  her." 
I  answered  him  that  I  should  gladly  follow  his  advice.  We 
then  went  to  dinner.  I  sat  on  my  father's  right  side  and  the 
Margrave  of  Baireuth  on  his  left.  The  king  was  in  excellent 
spirits ;  but  on  my  leaving  the  room,  as  I  was  feeling  ill,  he  got 
terribly  anxious,  fearing  I  was  going  to  die. 

Next  morning  I  got  up  very  early,  and  showed  my  father  all 
the  walks  round  the  Hermitage,  which  he  thought  very  pretty, 
especially  a  little  grotto  which  I  had  arranged  as  a  "  Tabagie." 
The  king  was  much  pleased,  and  said,  "  You  have  given  your- 
self endless  trouble,  and  have  shown  me  every  possible  atten- 
tion. I  might  fancy  myself  at  Potsdam,  the  rooms  are  so  like 
mine  there,  and  you  have  placed  the  same  tables  and  chairs  in 
them  as  I  always  use."  I  had  really  taken  great  pains,  and 
yet  gone  to  no  great  expense,  as  my  father  always  only  used 
wooden  chairs.  These  had  to  be  so  high  that  his  feet  should 
scarcely  touch  the  ground.  I  had  also  placed  two  large  tubs 
with  water  in  my  father's  room,  which  he  used  for  washing.  I 
do  not  think  there  ever  existed  a  person  who  was  so  particular 
about  cleanliness.  He  washed  himself  at  least  twenty  times  a 


252        MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII. 

day,  while  his  rooms  had  always  to  be  kept  perfectly  tidy,  with 
no  speck  of  dust  allowed  to  be  seen  anywhere.  The  long  walk 
I  had  taken  with  the  king  had  greatly  exhausted  me,  and  I  be- 
came so  faint  that  all  thought  I  was  dying.  Just  at  this  time 
the  celebrated  doctor,  Stahl,  my  father's  own  medical  attendant, 
arrived  at  Bairenth.  The  queen  had  sent  him,  as  well  as  a 
midwife,  to  attend  me  in  my  confinement.  Stahl  was  chiefly 
celebrated  for  his  great  knowledge  of  chemistry,  in  which  sci- 
ence he  had  made  great  discoveries.  His  system  of  medicine 
was  a  very  simple  one.  He  maintained  that  all  illnesses  were 
caused  by  powers  of  imagination,  and  for  this  reason  he  never 
used  but  two  remedies,  which  he  always  gave  in  every  illness. 
In  spite  of  this  peculiarity,  my  parents  had  great  faith  in  him. 
The  king  at  once  sent  for  him  to  see  me.  My  father  sat  down 
near  my  bed,  and  made  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  do  the 
same.  He  asked  me  how  I  got  on  with  my  father-in-law.  I 
told  him  about  everything,  but  begged  him  to  treat  the  Ajar- 
grave  kindly,  as  otherwise  my  position  would  only  become 
worse.  The  king  pitied  me  very  much,  and  said,  "  I  quite  see 
you  cannot  possibly  come  to  Berlin  at  this  moment,  but  yon 
must  do  so  as  soon  as  your  confinement  is  over.  Your  Mar- 
grave can  meanwhile  go  to  his  regiment,  and  when  you  are 
quite  strong  and  well  again  you  can  follow  him.  I  will  under- 
take to  provide  for  you  and  your  people.  I  will  also  try  and 
arrange  matters  in  such  a  way  that  I  may  be  able  to  give  you 
more  to  live  on.  You  must  bring  your  child  with  you  when 
you  come,  and  I  will  have  everything  prepared  for  you.  I  can- 
not any  longer  tolerate  the  manner  in  which  you  are  treated 
here.  Your  father-in-law  and  my  son-in-law  of  Anspach  are 
two  madmen,  who  ought  to  be  shut  up.  I  will  be  civil  to  the 
old  man,  but  your  sister  and  her  husband  shall  be  dealt  with  as 
they  deserve."  I  entreated  rny  father  to  spare  my  sister  and 
the  Margrave  of  Anspach.  The  former  was  already  unhappy 
enough,  and  gentleness  alone  would  improve  matters.  I  feared 
my  father's  anger  would  only  make  the  breach  greater  between 


MEMOIRS    OF   TUB    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        253 

us,  and  that  she  might  accuse  me  of  having  made  him  angry 
with  her.  My  father  promised  to  do  as  I  had  begged  him, 
and  soon  after  this  conversation  my  sister  and  the  Margrave 
arrived.  The  king  received  them  coldly.  I  had  got  up  to 
attend  the  dinner,  after  which  all  retired  to  their  rooms. 

Next  day  my  father  spent  the  whole  morning  in  scolding  my 
sister.  In  the  evening  he  went  to  the  "  Tabagie."  The  king's 
behavior  towards  the  Anspach  Court  had  not  improved  its 
temper,  and  my  father  now  began  to  cross-question  the  Mar- 
grave of  Baireuth  as  to  the  condition  of  his  country.  The 
Margrave  found  it  very  difficult  to  answer  him,  as  he  knew 
but  little  about  it,  his  acquaintance  with  business  matters 
being  very  slight.  The  king  reproached  him  with  the  state  of 
disorder  in  which  his  affairs  were,  and  told  him  that  he  allowed 
himself  to  be  cheated.  He  also  demanded  an  explanation  from 
him  respecting  a  capital  of  30,000  thalers*  which  he  had  lent 
him  to  pay  his  debts  with.  The  Margrave  had  not  up  to  this  time 
repaid  the  loan,  and  the  king  represented  to  him  how  his  credit 
would  suffer  in  consequence.  "  I  excuse  you,"  the  knig  pro- 
ceeded to  say,  "  because  you  have  only  lately  succeeded  to  the 
Government,  and  have  been  obliged  to  employ  those  whom 
you  found  intrusted  with  the  management  of  the  different  de- 
partments. The  time  has,  however,  come  when  you  ought  to 
see  things  with  your  own  eyes,  and  not  trust  to  those  of  others. 
Your  efforts  will  all  be  useless  if  you  do  not  make  your  son 
acquainted  with  the  state  of  affairs.  You  should  let  him  take 
part  in  your  deliberations,  and  let  him  work  in  the  Govern- 
ment, so  that  he  may  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the 
condition  of  the  principality.  Your  son  should  then  report  to 
you  daily,  and  there  will  be  that  advantage  gained  by  it  that 
your  ministers  will  work  twice  as  hard  when  they  have  their 
prince  as  a  colleague.  You  will  then,  too,  no  longer  be  cheated, 
as  has  been  the  case  till  now." 

This  speech  did  not  at  all  please  the  Margrave.     The  king 

*  Four  thousand  five  hundred  pounds. 


254         MEMOIRS    OF   TI1E    MAKGKAV1NE    OF    BAIKEUTH. 

then  said  tbat  he  had  given  him  this  advice  only  on  account  of 
the  love  he  bore  them,  and  the  respect  he  had  for  the  Margrave 
himself.  "Would  you  like  me,  my  dear  Margrave,"  my  fa- 
ther continued,  "to  send  you  some  one  to  help  you  out  of  your 
difficulties?  Unless  you  take  a  stranger,  who  will  look  thor- 
oughly into  the  affairs,  and  bring  to  light  all  the  villanies  that 
have  been  going  on,  you  will  never  get  things  into  order." 
Although  the  Margrave  had  been  much  offended  by  the  king's 
remarks  about  the  hereditary  prince,  he  appeared  to  accept  his 
offer  gratefully,  and  hid  his  annoyance  as  best  he  could.  My 
father  then  induced  the  Margrave  to  promise  him  solemnly 
that  my  husband  and  I  should  come  to  Berlin  soon  after  the 
birth  of  my  child.  He  said,  "  As  they  will  be  living  there  at 
ray  cost,  your  own  expenses  will  be  greatly  reduced."  The 
Margrave  at  once  agreed  to  the  proposal,  and  outwardly,  at  least, 
everything  was  on  a  harmonious  footing.  I  took  a  tearful 
leave  of  my  dear  father  that  evening,  who  left  next  morning, 
the  9th  of  August.  My  Anspach  relations  remained  with  us 
that  day.  My  brother-in-law,  the  Margrave,  had  fallen  in  love 
with  Mademoiselle  von  Grumkow,  and  made  no  secret  of  it. 
This  young  lady  was  extremely  flattered  by  the  conquest  she 
had  made,  and  encouraged  his  attentions.  She  was  tall  and 
thin,  very  pale,  with  a  long  face,  and  a  nose  like  an  eagle.  She 
had  beautiful  teeth  and  a  fine  figure.  She  was  very  amusing, 
most  entertaining;  but  her  tongue  was  sharp  as  a  knife,  and 
she  spared  no  one.  She  was  very  proud  and  insolent,  and  her 
conduct  was  extremely  flighty.  She  made  mischief  wherever 
she  could.  With  all  these  faults  she  combined  an  art  of  in- 
gratiating herself  with  people,  and  she  made  many  friends. 
My  sister  was  terribly  jealous  of  her  husband's  friendship  for 
this  girl,  and  was  constantly  in  tears  about  it.  I  pitied  her 
very  much  ;  yet  as  the  girl  was  Grurnkow's  niece,  and  I  required 
her  uncle's  help,  I  had  to  be  very  careful  how  I  behaved  tow- 
ards her.  Soon  after  this  my  sister  and  her  husband  return- 
ed to  Anspach,  and  I  escaped  from  the  difficulty. 


MKMO1US    OF   THE    MABGKAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         255 

No  sooner  bad  the  kiug  left  us  than  my  father-in-law  vented 
his  anger  on  my  husband  and  myself.  He  began  by  reproach- 
ing me  for  having  turned  him  out  of  Monplaisir  to  make  room 
for  my  sister.  He  let  me  know  through  M.  von  Voit  that  he 
was  not  yet  dead,  and  hoped  to  live  some  time  longer  if  only 
to  spite  us,  and  that  he  was  surprised  at  my  giving  myself  the 
airs  of  a  regent.  It  was  all  my  doing,  the  Margrave  said,  that 
the  king  had  spoken  to  him  as  he  had.  He  would  excuse  me, 
however,  as  he  was  aware  I  had  acted  by  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld' s  advice,  who  he  knew  hated  him.  My  father-in-law 
said  he  was  tired  of  her  constant  intrigues,  and  would  therefore 
send  her  to  the  small  fortress  of  Plassenburg,  where  she  would 
have  leisure  to  reflect  on  her  want  of  respect  towards  him.  I 
wondered  at  the  patience  with  which  I  listened  to  this  message. 
When  Voit  had  ceased  speaking  I  broke  out  into  all  manner  of 
abuse  against  the  Margrave.  I  was  so  angry  that  I  trembled  all 
over.  When  I  cooled  down  a  little  Voit  advised  me  to  write  to 
my  father-in-law,  or  to  ask  the  Prince  of  Culmbach  (the  Mar- 
grave's brother)  to  make  peace  between  us.  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld  meanwhile  laughed  at  the  Margrave's  threats  against 
her.  I  followed  Volt's  advice,  and  asked  the  Prince  of  Culm- 
bach's  help.  This  prince  blamed  his  brother's  conduct  towards 
me  and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  and  assured  me  that  he 
had  already  spoken  to  the  Margrave  very  severely  about  it.  To 
prove  my  entire  innocence,  I  showed  the  Prince  of  Culmbach 
the  letters  in  which  the  Margrave  distinctly  commanded  me  to 
make  all  the  necessary  arrangements  for  our  guests.  He  took 
these  letters  with  him  and  showed  them  to  my  father-in-law, 
proving  to  him  how  extremely  unjust  he  had  been  towards  me. 
The  Margrave  upon  this  made  me  many  excuses,  and  pretended 
to  regret  his  behavior.  This  was  all  mere  pretence  on  his  part, 
and  he  was  now  bent  on  finding  some  other  way  of  annoying 
me. 

As  my  confinement  was  near  at  hand,  it  was  thought  desir- 
able that  J  should  return  to  Baireuth.  I  did  so  on  the  20th  of 


256        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

August.  I  had  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  my  bedroom  newly 
furnished,  and  also  one  of  my  boudoirs,  which  I  had  decorated 
with  china  and  carved  wood-work.  My  rooms,  consequently, 
looked  much  more  cheerful  and  comfortable.  The  Margrave, 
who  had  returned  to  Baireuth  at  the  same  time  as  I  had,  came 
with  his  brother  to  see  me  next  morning,  and  informed  me  that 
Le  was  starting  for  Himmelscron,  and  should  not  return  till 
after  my  confinement.  I  was  unable  to  conceal  my  dissatis- 
faction at  his  leaving  Baireuth,  but  I  said  I  should  be  glad  to 
know  what  his  orders  were  before  he  left.  "  I  shall  be  obliged 
to  inform  the  king,  my  father,  of  the  birth  of  my  child ;  but  he 
will  not  like  only  to  receive  the  news  through  an  ordinary  mes- 
senger. I  venture,  therefore,  to  suggest  to  your  Highness  that 
M.  von  Voit  should  go  to  Berlin  as  soon  as  the  event  has  taken 
place.  He  would  pass  Himmelscron  on  his  way  to  Berlin,  and 
could  then  at  the  same  time  bring  you  the  tidings."  My  fa- 
ther-in-law got  very  red  in  the  face,  and  for  a  few  moments 
made  no  reply.  He  then  said,  "  As  regards  sending  the  news 
to  Berlin,  I  think  your  suggestion  quite  right  and  proper.  It 
is,  however,  quite  unnecessary  to  inform  me  of  the  event."  I 
answered  my  father-in-law  that,  if  he  did  not  wish  to  receive 
M.  von  Voit,  we  would  send  some  other  gentleman  who  was 
more  agreeable  to  him.  "  I  will  have  no  one  sent  me,"  the 
Margrave  replied ;  "  I  have  ordered  cannons  to  be  posted  the 
whole  way  to  Himmelscron,  which  will  inform  me  much  sooner 
than  any  messenger  could."  I  answered  that  this  would  most 
likely  be  the  case,  but  that  I  did  not  wish  to  fail  in  showing 
him  every  mark  of  respect,  and  therefore  hoped  he  would  let 
me  do  as  I  suggested.  My  father-in-law,  however,  insisted  that 
he  did  not  wish  to  stand  on  any  ceremony  with  me.  He  hated 
formalities,  he  said,  like  death.  lie  would  let  Von  Voit  know 
he  was  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  start  for  Berlin  whenever 
it  was  required.  The  Margrave  then  wished  me  good-by,  ex- 
pressing his  hope  that  I  should  get  well  over  my  confinement, 
with  which  remark  he  left  me. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        257 

Fortunately  the  Prince  of  Culmbach  had  been  present  during 
this  interview.  I  asked  him  why  the  Margrave  behaved  so 
strangely.  He  assured  me  it  was  merely  a  fit  of  bad  temper; 
I  must  be  patient  with  him  and  let  him  have  his  own  way.  I 
promised  the  prince  I  would  follow  his  advice,  and  then  took 
leave  of  him. 

I  was  taken  ill  on  the  29th,  and  continued  in  labor  till  the 
evening  of  the  31st  of  August,  when  I  was  safely  delivered  of 
a  daughter.  My  life  had  been  in  the  utmost  danger,  and  my 
attendants  had  despaired  of  saving  me  or  my  child.  My  poor 
husband  had  been  in  a  terrible  state  of  mind,  as  I  was  after- 
wards told.  Nothing  ever  equalled  his  joy  when  he  knew  I 
was  safe.  He  never  asked  after  the  child ;  all  his  thoughts  were 
for  me.  He  kissed  my  hands,  covering  them  with  tears.  Al- 
though the  Margrave  had  been  informed  of  my  great  peril,  he 
had  not  thought  fit  to  inquire  after  me.  His  brother,  on  the 
other  hand,  had  sent  hourly  to  hear  how  I  was,  proving  to  me 
how  much  he  cared  for  me.  M.  von  Voit  left  for  Berlin  im- 
mediately after  the  birth  of  the  child,  and  all  the  cannon  were 
fired.  The  clergy  came  to  pray  at  my  bedside;  but  I  heard  lit- 
tle of  their  prayers,  as  I  was  still  so  weak.  Next  day,  after 
some  sleep,  my  condition  had  much  improved. 

I  was  greatly  surprised  at  receiving  no  inquiries  from  the 
Margrave.  At  last  the  hereditary  prince  had  a  note  from  his 
uncle,  congratulating  him  on  my  safety,  and  at  the  same  time 
telling  him  he  had  informed  the  Margrave  of  the  birth  of  his 
grandchild.  The  cannon  had  been  so  badly  placed,  he  said, 
that  the  sound  had  not  reached  Himmelscron.  The  Prince  of 
Culmbach  said  he  would  try  and  induce  the  Margrave  to  come 
to  Baireuth  that  evening ;  he  was  in  such  a  dreadful  temper 
that  he  had  not  dared  speak  to  him  about  anything.  My  fa- 
ther-in-law, however,  really  came  to  Baireuth  at  six  that  evening. 
He  sent  at  once  for  M.  von  Reitzenstein,  and  complained  to 
him  bitterly  that  his  son  and  I  had  treated  him  disgracefully, 
and  that  he  had  been  the  last  to  be  informed  of  my  child's 
17 


258        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

birth.  He  said  his  patience  was  exhausted,  that  he  was  master, 
and  could  have  his  son  shut  up  in  a  fortress  any  day  he  pleased, 
to  teach  him  how  to  behave  towards  him.  Poor  M.  von  Reitzen- 
stcin,  who  knew  of  nothing,  stood  there  struck  with  dismay. 
This  dismay  was  only  increased  when  the  Margrave  told  him 
to  go  and  tell  all  this  in  his  name  to  the  hereditary  prince. 
Reitzenstein  refused  to  deliver  these  messages.  He  waited  a 
few  moments  till  the  Margrave  had  grown  calmer,  and  then 
represented  to  him  what  harm  he  did  his  own  reputation  by 
treating  me  so  badly.  It  was  doubly  wrong  at  the  present 
moment,  for  I  was  not  out  of  danger,  and  any  agitation  might 
kill  me. 

With  respect  to  Prince  Henry,  Reitzenstein  said  he  knew 
that  he  would  never  be  wanting  in  respect  towards  the  Mar- 
grave. He  advised  my  father-in-law  to  inquire  how  the  mis- 
take, had  arisen,  because  he  felt  sure  it  must  be  some  misun- 
derstanding. At  this  moment  the  Prince  of  Culmbach  entered 
the  room,  and  took  my  part  most  warmly.  He  reminded  the 
Margrave  of  the  conversation  he  had  had  with  me  in  his  pres- 
ence on  that  very  subject.  My  father-in-law  was  much  taken 
aback  at  this,  as  he  had  not  been  aware  that  the  prince  had 
been  in  the  room  at  the  time.  He  was  very  much  ashamed  at 
his  memory  having  failed  him  on  this  occasion,  but  he  was 
losing  it  more  and  more  daily.  The  Margrave  at  once  sent  for 
hi.-  son,  whom  lie  received  courteously,  and  then  came  to  see 
me.  lie  treated  me  very  coldly,  and  it  was  quite  apparent  that 
his  civil  speeches  were  by  no  means  sincere.  He  told  me  it 
was  the  custom  to  have  the  child  christened  on  the  third  day 
after  its  birth,  and  that  therefore  the  ceremony  must  take  place 
next  morning.  I  answered  my  father-in-law  that  he  must  do 
as  he  thought  best,  but  that  I  was  too  weak  to  see  any  one  or 
to  receive  congratulations.  He  replied  that  it  was  not  at  all 
necessary ;  that  I  had  only  to  tell  him  whom  I  wished  to  have 
as  sponsors.  At  first  I  refused  to  name  any,  but  at  last  I  men- 
tioned the  following:  the  empress,  my  parents,  the  Queen  of 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        259 

Denmark  (the  Margrave's  sister),  the  dowager  Princess  of  Culm- 
bach  (the  Margrave's  mother),  my  brother,  my  sister  of  Anspach, 
and  the  Prince  of  Culmbach.  The  Margrave  expressed  him- 
self very  much  satisfied  with  these  sponsors,  and  then  left  me. 

Next  day  trumpets  and  drums  announced  that  the  Margrave, 
with  his  whole  Court,  and  Princess  Charlotte,  Avho  had  just 
returned  from  Weikersheim,  would  proceed  to  my  apartments. 
Princess  Charlotte  carried  the  child,  and  held  it  during  the 
ceremony.  The  whole  procession  went  from  my  room  to  the 
audience  -  chamber,  where  the  christening  took  place.  After 
the  ceremony  was  over  cannons  were  fired,  and  the  child  was 
brought  back  to  my  room.  Then  a  great  banquet  was  held, 
followed  by  a  ball  in  the  evening. 

A  fortnight  later  Prince  William,  of  Culmbach,  my  husband's 
brother,  arrived  at  Baireuth.  He  had  just  returned  from  his 
travels  through  France  and  Holland.  My  husband,  whose  kind 
heart  made  him  cling  to  all  his  relations,  was  delighted  to  see 
him  again.  He  brought  him  at  once  to  my  room.  Prince 
William  was  twenty  years  old,  but  not  taller  than  a  boy  of 
fourteen.  He  had  a  handsome  face,  but  not  an  agreeable  ex- 
pression, and  was  fairly  well-proportioned,  but  was  as  childish 
in  his  behavior  as  in  stature.  He  was  not  clever,  having  stud- 
ied at  Utrecht,  with  little  advantage  to  himself.  He  was  very 
absent  and  flighty,  and  had  talent  for  nothing  else  but  catching 
flies.  He  was  certainly  good-natured,  but  probably  more  so 
by  nature  than  principle.  The  hereditary  prince  and  I  did  all 
we  could  to  help  him  on  during  his  short  stay  at  Baireuth,  but 
we  met  with  little  success.  He  was  colonel  in  the  Imperial 
army,  and  his  regiment  was  quartered  in  Italy.  He  was  now 
on  his  way  there,  but  was  to  stay  a  short  time  with  his  uncle 
at  Vienna.  I  shall  always  mention  him  in  the  course  of  these 
memoirs  as  Prince  William. 

M.  von  Voit  returned  at  this  time  from  Berlin,  bringing  me 
very  affectionate  letters  from  my  parents.  Voit  told  me  the 
birth  of  my  child  and  my  safety  had  caused  universal  joy  at 


260        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

Berlin.  The  king  and  crown  prince  had  spoken  in  the  tender- 
est  manner  of  me. 

I  was  just  beginning  to  enjoy  a  little  peace  and  quiet,  when 
the  hereditary  prince  received  a  letter  from  the  king,  which 
threw  us  into  great  agitation.  My  father  reminded  Prince 
Henry  of  our  promise  to  come  to  Berlin,  and  ordered  him  to 
rejoin  his  regiment  at  once.  He  said  we  could  rely  on  his 
friendship,  and  the  proofs  he  would  give  us  of  it.  This 
\vas  a  terrible  blow  for  me.  I  loved  my  husband  passionately, 
and  our  marriage  was  really  a  happy  one.  He  was  my  only 
comfort  on  earth ;  and  now  I  was  to  be  separated  from  him 
only  three  weeks  after  our  child's  birth,  and  probably  for  a 
long  time.  There  was  nothing  to  be  done,  unless  we  wished 
to  quarrel  with  the  king.  We  could  not  afford  to  do  that,  for 
we  needed  his  help  and  .protection.  The  only  thing  we  could 
do  was  to  postpone  the  evil  day  as  long  as  we  could.  The 
Margrave  pretended  to  grieve  much  at  our  approaching  de- 
parture ;  but  he  was  secretly  enchanted  at  it,  as  he  longed  to 
get  rid  of  us. 

My  husband  started  on  the  2d  of  October,  paying  all  the  ex- 
penses of  his  journey  himself.  The  grief  at  parting  from  him 
made  me  very  ill,  and  my  health  never  entirely  recovered  from 
the  shock.  I  grew  dreadfully  thin,  and  cried  all  night.  Every 
evening  I  held  receptions  in  my  rooms,  at  which  all  the  family 
appeared.  Cards  were  played ;  otherwise  these  parties  were 
fearfully  dull.  I  had  no  one  to  speak  to  but  the  Prince  of 
Culmbach,  who  was  my  only  companion.  By  degrees  I  grew 
calmer,  till  another  letter  from  the  king  upset  me  afresh.  He 
said  he  wished  me  to  go  to  my  sister  at  Anspach.  He  knew 
she  would  be  offended  if  I  did  not  do  so,  as  I  owed  her  a  visit. 
It  was  very  necessary  to  keep  on  good  terms ;  and  as  I  was 
the  more  reasonable  of  the  two,  I  must  do  all  in  my  power  to 
keep  up  a  good  understanding  between  the  two  families.  Af- 
ter my  return  to  Baireuth  I  was  to  come  to  Berlin,  where  I 
should  be  received  with  open  arms.  This  was  all  very  right 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIRKUTH.         201 

and  good ;  but  I  had  no  money,  and  the  hereditary  prince's 
journey  to  Berlin  had  exhausted  all  the  means  at  our  com- 
mand. Then,  too,  I  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  my  daugh- 
ter. I  did  not  like  leaving  her  behind  alone.  At  last  I  thought 
it  best  to  send  the  king's  letter  to  the  Margrave.  He  sent  me 
word  through  M.  von  Voit  that  he  entirely  agreed  with  its 
contents,  and  that  I  was  free  to  do  whatever  I  thought  best. 
I  thereupon  spoke  to  my  father-in-law  myself,  and  begged  him 
for  some  money  to  help  me  with  my  journey.  I  said  how 
much  I  disliked  having  to  make  this  request,  but  that  necessity 
forced  me  to  do  so.  I  had  not  even  the  means  to  procure  ab- 
solute necessaries.  I  represented  to  him  that  I  could  not  leave 
my  daughter  alone  with  her  nurses.  It  was  equally  impossible 
for  me  to  take  her  to  Berlin,  as  the  weather  was  already  top 
cold.  I  was  therefore  anxious  to  find  a  lady  in  whose  charge 
I  could  leave  her,  and  who  would  afterwards  be  able  to  direct 
her  education.  The  Margrave  replied  that  he  would  take  it 
all  into  consideration,  and  would  let  me  have  an  answer 
through  M.  von  Voit  next  day.  The  answer  was  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  Margrave.  He  desired  me  to  be  told  that  there 
was  no  mention  in  my  marriage  treaty  of  the  daughters  I 
might  bring  into  the  world,  nor  of  the  journeys  which  I  might 
undertake.  The  outlay  caused  by  his  youngest  son's  journey 
and  his  joining  the  army  had  caused  great  disorder  in  his 
finances;  he  was  therefore  unable  to  help  me.  It  seemed  to 
him  that  the  king  was  bound  to  pay  for  my  journey,  as  he  had 
invited  me  to  come  to  Berlin.  I  was  in  despair.  I  wrote  at 
once  to  Berlin,  and  as  I  had  to  wait  for  the  answer  I  was 
obliged  to  postpone  my  journey,  much  as  I  longed  to  see  my 
husband  again.  As  I  did  not  for  a  moment  doubt  that  the 
king  would  send  me  some  money,  I  took  2000  thalers  (£300), 
which  I  had  invested,  for  my  present  use.  It  was  all  I  pos- 
sessed in  the  world.  It  had  been  given  me  by  my  brother; 
for  since  his  engagement  to  the  Princess  of  Brunswick  he  had 
been  receiving  large  sums  of  money  from  Austria. 


262        MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREDTH. 

On  the  12th  of  October  T  was  churched.  A  Te  Deum  was 
sung  in  the  chapel  of  the  castle,  the  cannons  were  fired,  and 
in  the  evening  there  was  a  ball.  I  had  no  heart  for  anything, 
for  I  was  oppressed  with  grief  and  trouble.  Still,  I  did  have 
one  happy  moment  that  evening,  and  that  was  on  receiving  a 
letter  from  the  hereditary  prince,  telling  me  of  his  safe  arrival 
at  Berlin,  where  he  bad  been  very  well  received  by  the  king 
and  queen.  He  wrote  how  much  and  how  impatiently  he 
longed  to  see  me  again,  and  that  he  was  about  to  join  his  regi- 
ment, but  should  wait  till  my  arrival  at  Berlin  before  he  did 
so.  Every  one  assured  him,  my  brother  as  well  as  the  rest, 
that  the  king  would  receive  us  with  every  mark  of  special  af- 
fection. My  father  had  told  my  husband  I  must  obey  his 
wishes  and  go  to  Anspach.  My  husband  hoped  I  would  go 
there  without  delay,  in  order  that  we  might  meet  the  sooner. 
He  had  no  need  to  urge  this  reason  on  me,  for  I  was  only  too 
desirous  of  seeing  him  again.  I  required  time,  however,  to  set- 
tle things  at  Baireuth.  I  had  several  good  days  just  at  this 
time.  I  call  them  good  days,  because  I  was  spared  the  pleas- 
ure of  having  to  see  the  Margrave.  He  was  indisposed,  and 
the  doctors  had  bled  him. 

Another  tiresome  personage  made  up  for  the  Margrave's  ab- 
sence— my  father-in-law's  other  brother,  whom  I  will  call  the 
Prince  of  Neustadt,  as  he  always  lived  there.  He  was  colonel 
of  a  Danish  regiment,  and  had  come  from  Copenhagen  to  get 
married,  as  we  found  out  afterwards.  He  let  the  Margrave 
know  that  he  was  coming  to  Baireuth  for  a  few  days.  This 
prince  was  the  least  desirable  member  of  the  family.  The  Mar- 
grave could  not  bear  him,  and  when  I  have  given  his  descrip- 
tion nobody  can  blame  my  father-in-law.  The  Margrave  took 
l>nt  little  notice  of  his  proposed  visit,  and,  as  I  was  to  leave  in  a 
few  days,  begged  his  brother  to  postpone  his  visit  till  after  my 
return.  Unfortunately  the  Prince  of  Neustadt  never  got  the 
Margrave's  message  till  just  as  he  was  nearing  Baireuth.  The 
weather  and  the  roads  would  have  excused  him  for  not  turning 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        203 

back  again ;  but  he  was  so  much  offended  with  the  Margrave's 
note  that  he  continued  his  journey  to  Baireuth,  purposely  to 
spite  his  brother.  Instead  of  coming  to  the  castle  he  lodged 
at  the  town  -  hall,  and  never  went  near  any  member  of  the 
family.  The  Margrave  invited  him  several  times  to  the  castle, 
where  rooms  were  prepared  for  him.  The  Prince  of  Neustadt 
answered  that,  after  the  insult  offered  him  by  his  brother,  he  re- 
fused to  come  and  see  him.  The  whole  day  was  spent  in  send- 
ing messages  to  and  fro  between  the  brothers.  At  last  the 
Margrave  decided  that  the  best  thing  to  do  would  be  to  send 
his  son,  Prince  William,  to  fetch  him. 

At  last  this  charming  personage  made  his  entry  to  the  castle. 
The  Prince  of  Neustadt  was  neither  tall  nor  short,  and  was  well 
grown.  He  had  eyes  like  a  pig,  an  enormous  mouth,  and  very 
short,  thin  lips,  which  hid  neither  his  gums  nor  his  teeth.  Be- 
sides this  he  always  kept  his  mouth  wide  open,  so  that  one 
could  see  half  down  his  throat.  He  had  fair  hair,  and  was  al- 
together most  repulsive  in  appearance.  He  was  half  silly,  and 
could  not  be  trusted  out  of  one's  sight.  I  tried  to  see  as  little 
as  I  could  of  this  terrible  being,  and  left  him  to  be  entertained 
by  Princess  Charlotte  and  Prince  William. 

The  Margrave  had  taken  it  into  his  head  that  he  would  like 
his  whole  family  assembled  round  him,  for  which  purpose  he 
had  invited  his  eldest  daughter,  the  Princess  of  Taxis,  to  come 
to  Baireuth.  Princess  Wilhelmine  was  much  dissatisfied  with 
her  stay  in  East  Friesland.  She  had  spoiled  her  prospects  by 
the  haughty  manner  in  which  she  had  treated  the  prince,  the 
princesses,  and  her  aunt.  Her  marriage,  instead  of  being  settled, 
was  on  the  point  of  being  broken  off,  and  the  princess  implored 
to  be  allowed  to  return  to  Baireuth.  When  the  Margrave  was 
told  of  the  state  of  affairs,  he  decided  that  if  the  marriage  were 
entirely  broken  off,  Princess  Wilhelmine  should  go  to  Denmark 
before  returning  home.  He  would  then  be  able  to  say  that 
she  had  been  visiting  all  her  relations.  At  this  very  moment 
two  offers  of  marriage  were  made  to  Princess  Charlotte — one 


264        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

by  the  Prince  of  Weissenfels,  who  has  so  often  been  mentioned 
as  a  suitor  for  my  hand,  and  the  other  by  the  Prince  of  Usin- 
gen.  Princess  Charlotte  preferred  this  latter.  In  spite  of  all 
my  endeavors  to  get  the  marriage  settled,  the  Margrave  refused 
both  offers.  He  did  not  wish  to  marry  his  younger  daughter 
before  the  elder.  T  had  no  voice  in  the  matter ;  for  the  Mar- 
grave hated  me,  and  let  me  feel  it  on  every  possible  occasion, 
and  tormented  me  when  he  could.  He  grumbled  all  day  long 
at  the  hereditary  prince,  and  made  a  great  favorite  of  Prince 
William,  which  made  me  furious. 

I  started  at  last  on  the  21st  for  Anspach.  The  direct  road 
lay  through  Erlangen,  where  the  widow  of  my  father-in-law's 
predecessor,  Margrave  George  William,  lived.  I  was  curious  to 
see  this  place,  as  I  had  been  told  much  about  it,  and  it  had 
originally  been  mentioned  as  our  place  of  abode.  M.  von  Fisch- 
er, who  lived  there,  had  disapproved  of  the  plan,  and  it  was 
therefore  decided  that  the  prince  and  I  should  live  at  Baireuth 
itself.  The  first  evening,  after  travelling  over  a  very  bad  road, 
I  reached  a  small  village  called  Baiersdorf.  I  was  there  re- 
ceived by  M.  von  Fischer,  M.  von  Egloffstein,  a  member  of  the 
nobility  of  those  parts,  and  Lieutenant-general  M.  von  Basse- 
witz,  who  commanded  in  Franconia.  All  these  gentlemen  wel- 
comed me  most  kindly.  M.  von  Fischer  whispered  to  me  that 
the  Margrave  had  desired  I  should  be  received  with  the  same 
marks  of  honor  as  were  shown  to  himself.  Fischer  was  also 
desired  to  inform  the  Margravine  of  my  arrival,  and  to  take  care 
that  I  had  precedence  given  me  by  her,  and  was  treated  as  my 
rank  demanded.  M.  von  Fischer  said  he  had  not  been  able  to 
induce  the  Margravine  to  agree  to  this,  for  she  insisted  on  treat- 
ing me  only  as  hereditary  princess,  and  not  as  a  king's  daughter. 

Fischer  had  therefore  directed  that  my  dinner  should  !><i 
served  in  my  rooms  at  the  castle,  and  advised  me  not  to  see 
the  Margravine  at  all.  He  hoped  by  that  means  to  humiliate 
her.  I  answered  that  T  was  quite  satisfied  to  follow  his  advice, 
;m<l  that  I  had  no  wish  to  make  her  acquaintance.  I  had 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH.       265 

scarcely  made  this  remark  when  the  Margravine's  lord  cham- 
berlain was  announced,  who  was  desired  to  welcome  me  in  his 
mistress's  name.  I  received  him  at  once.  He  made  a  long 
speech  of  half  an  hour's  length,  during  which  he  stuttered  and 
hesitated,  and  at  last  ended  up  by  saying  that  the  Margravine 
was  on  the  point  of  getting  into  her  carriage  to  come  and  her- 
self invite  me  to  Erlangen.  She  hoped  I  would  have  supper 
there  with  her  that  evening.  I  declined  the  visit  and  supper 
as  civilly  as  I  could,  excusing  myself  on  the  score  of  fatigue, 
and  a  wish  to  dine  at  Erlangen  next  day.  M.  von  Fischer  now 
came  forward  and  said,  "Her  Royal  Highness  will  go  to  Erlan- 
gen if  the  Margravine  will  receive  her  with  the  respect  due  to 
her  exalted  rank,  otherwise  it  will  be  impossible  for  her  to  dine 
at  the  same  table,  and  dinner  must  be  served  in  her  own  rooms." 
The  lord  chamberlain  replied  that  his  princess  would  never  for- 
get what  was  owing  to  the  daughter  of  so  great  a  sovereign  as 
the  king,  and  would  have  dinner  served  in  her  own  rooms.  I 
at  once  sent  one  of  my  gentlemen  to  return  the  visit,  and  then 
went  to  supper.  M.  von  Fischer  held  forth  the  whole  time, 
praising  Prince  William  to  the  skies.  He  never  even  men- 
tioned my  husband,  which  annoyed  me  to  such  an  extent  that 
I  left  the  supper-table  before  I  had  half  finished  eating. 

I  left  next  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  and  was  escorted  by  two 
companies  of  Baiersdorfen  and  Erlangen  cavalry.  All  the  gen- 
tlemen that  had  received  me  the  previous  evening  followed  in 
carriages,  and  many  of  the  younger  members  of  the  nobility 
came  to  meet  me  on  horseback.  The  townsfolk  of  Erlangen 
lined  the  streets.  I  thought  Erlangen  very  pretty.  It  is 
charmingly  situated,  and  the  houses  built  in  the  newest  style. 
The  castle  was  built  to  correspond  with  the  buildings  of  the 
town,  and  I  should  rather  call  it  a  country  house.  On  one  side 
is  a  large  open  "  place,"  or  square,  and  on  the  other  a  beauti- 
ful garden  of  very  great  extent.  The  sandy  soil  spoils  much  of 
its  charm.  This  part  of  the  Margravate  is  called  the  Lowlands, 
as  it  has  no  mountains.  The  Margrave  Christian  Ernst  built 


266        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

the  town  and  established  a  Frencli  colony  in  it,  to  which  it 
owes  much  of  its  refinement.  The  difference  between  Baireuth 
and  Erlangen  is  very  apparent,  and  though  only  at  eight  miles' 
distance  from  one  another  you  might  fancy  yourself  in  quite 
another  country.  The  town  was  very  crowded,  and  everybody 
was  anxious  to  see  me.  The  people  pushed  so  close  up  to  my 
carriage  that  I  was  in  terror  lest  some  one  should  be  hurt. 

At  last  I  reached  the  castle.  The  Margravine  and  her  whole 
Court  received  me  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  After  the  usual 
compliments  had  been  paid,  M.  von  Voit  gave  me  his  hand  and 
led  me  to  my  rooms.  The  Margravine  followed  me.  She  was 
the  sister  of  Prince  John  Adolphus  of  Weissenfcls,  who  lias  so 
often  been  named  in  this  narrative.  She  is  said  to  have  been 
very  beautiful  in  her*  youth.  Her  married  life  with  the  Mar- 
grave George  William  had  been  a  most  unhappy  one.  The 
Margravine  might  certainly  have  been  mentioned  among  the 
celebrated  women  of  ancient  history,  for  in  her  life  she  was 
without  doubt  the  Lais  of  the  century.  She  was  never  very 
clever,  and  was  thirty -eight  years  old  when  I  saw  her,  very 
stout,  but  well  proportioned.  Her  face  was  long,  as  was  her 
nose,  which  was  so  red  as  to  disfigure  her.  She  had  beautiful- 
ly shaped  eyes,  but  they  were  rather  dim,  and  false  black  eye- 
brows, a  large,  well-shaped  mouth,  and  splendid  white  teeth. 
Her  complexion  was  very  fair,  but  faded.  Altogether  she 
looked  like  a  stage  queen,  and  behaved  herself  like  one ;  yet, 
on  the  whole,  her  appearance  was  very  striking. 

We  sat  down  on  arm-chairs.  I- had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  preventing  the  Margravine  from  sitting  on  a  "  tabouret," 
as  she  insisted  on  doing.  Our  conversation  was  most  dull  and 
uninteresting.  I  answered  all  her  civil  speeches  in  the  most 
gracious  manner  possible.  She  expressed  her  pleasure  in 
making  my  acquaintance :  she  had  been  very  frightened  be- 
forehand, she  said,  as  she  had  been  told  I  was  very  proud  and 
haughty,  and  would  treat  her  without  the  least  consideration. 
The  Margravine  presented  to  me  her  mistress  of  the  robes — at 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        267 

least,  to  the  lady  who  acted  in  that  capacity — and  also  her 
ladies-in-waiting,  twin-sisters.  They  were  both  very  short,  and 
round  as  balls.  As  they  stooped  down  to  kiss  the  hem  of  my 
dress  they  lost  their  balance,  and  fell  down,  rolling  across  the 
room.  I  could  not  help  laughing  at  this  extraordinary  scene. 
I  never  saw  such  ugly  people  at  any  court  in  my  life  before. 
I  think  the  Margravine  must  have  collected  all  the  monsters  in 
the  land,  in  order  to  enhance  her  own  personal  charms. 

At  last  we  went  to  dinner.  I  had  the  place  of  honor  given 
me  at  the  head  of  the  table.  The  Margravine  seemed  in  a  state 
of  constant  perplexity.  M.  von  Egloffstein,  who  was  her  lover 
at  that  time  (I  say  "at  that  time,"  because  she  constantly 
changed  her  admirers),  had  taught  her  never  to  open  her 
mouth  or  to  touch  any  dish  without  first  asking  his  advice. 
After  dinner  was  over  I  went  to  the  Margravine's  room,  where 
we  had  coffee,  and  where  all  the  ladies  from  the  town  were 
presented  to  me.  There  were  among  them  some  very  amiable 
people;  but  as  I  was  much  pressed  for  time,  and  anxious  to 
proceed  on  my  journey,  I  was  unable  to  make  their  nearer 
acquaintance.  In  spite  of  my  endeavors  to  prevent  her  doing 
so,  the  Margravine  insisted  on  accompanying  me  to  the  foot  of 
the  stairs.  M.  von  Egloffstein  had  told  her  to  do  so,  she  said, 
and  she  always  did  whatever  he  wished. 

I  arrived  at  Carlsburg  late  that  evening,  and  was  there  met 
by  some  gentlemen  and  servants  from  Anspach.  Next  day  at 
seven  in  the  evening  I  reached  Anspach. 

My  sister  and  her  husband  received  me  with  every  mark  of 
affection,  and  I  returned  their  greetings  most  warmly,  for  I  was 
greatly  pleased  at  their  behavior.  Great  dinners  were  given  in 
my  honor  as  long  as  I  remained  at  Anspach.  I  could  never 
persuade  them  to  treat  me  merely  as  a  relation,  The  castle, 
which  is  faulty  in  its  construction,  and  has  very  inconvenient 
entrances,  is  otherwise  very  comfortable.  It  is  a  handsome 
building  and  quite  modern,  very  prettily  decorated  and  fur- 
nished. The  Court  is  a  large  one,  and  much  in  the  same  style 


268        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

as  that  at  Baireuth,  with  the  one  exception  that  French  is 
talked  there.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  ball,  to  which  forty- 
two  couples  were  invited.  The  ladies  were  of  different  grades 
of  society,  but  were  decidedly  superior  to  those  at  Baireuth. 

My  sister  was  expecting  to  be  confined,  which  caused  univer- 
sal satisfaction  throughout  the  country.  She  was  on  very  bad 
terms  with  her  husband,  whose  constant  flirtations  were  a 
source  of  unceasing  annoyance  to  her.  I  endeavored  to  be  as 
courteous  as  possible  to  everybody  I  met  at  Anspach,  and 
made  many  friends.  Even  the  Margrave  was  most  friendly 
towards  me,  and  this  good  understanding  between  us  was  of 
great  service  to  my  sister  in  the  future. 

My  brother-in-law  was  to  go  to  Pommersberg,  to  have  an 
interview  with  the  Bishop  of  Bamberg.  As  my  road  lay  in 
the  same  direction  we  left  on  the  28th,  and  travelled  together 
as  far  as  Baiersdorf,  where  he  left  me  and  I  spent  the  night. 
I  there  found  a  letter  awaiting  me  from  the  king.  It  was  in 
answer  to  the  one  I  had  written  to  him  begging  him  for  some 
money  for  my  journey,  and  for  a  lady  in  whose  charge  I  could 
leave  my  daughter.  The  letter,  which  was  not  in  my  father's 
own  handwriting,  read  as  follows : 

"  DEAR  DAUGHTER, — I  have  received  your  letter.  I  am 
much  distressed  that  you  have  such  incessant  worries,  and  that 
the  money  for  your  journey  has  been  refused  you.  I  have 
written  a  very  strong  letter  to  your  old  fool  of  a  father-in-law, 
and  told  him  to  supply  yon  with  the  necessary  means.  Flora 
von  Sonnsfeld  had  better  remain  with  little  Frederica,*  and 
this  will  save  the  expense  of  having  a  governess  for  her.  I 
am  impatiently  expecting  your  arrival,"  etc. 

This  letter  caused  me  great  dismay,  for  I  saw  that  I  should 
be  placed,  so  to  speak,  between  two  stools.  At  the  same  time 


*  The  Margravine's  little  daughter. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        269 

I  received  another  letter  from  the  hereditary  prince,  which 
comforted  me  somewhat.  He  wrote  to  me  that  my  brother 
was  moving  heaven  and  earth  to  induce  the  king  to  grant  me 
some  money ;  also  that  the  queen  had  greatly  changed  for 
the  better  in  her  feelings  towards  me,  and  was  anxious  to 
make  my  stay  at  Berlin  as  pleasant  as  possible.  My  mother 
wished  me  specially  to  be  told  this  also,  that  she  only  spoke  of 
the  happiness  of  seeing  me  again.  These  fine  words  did  not 
pacify  me  much,  and  I  feared  that  the  king  had  deceived  me. 

I  arrived  next  day  at  Baireuth,  but  was  to  leave  again  in  a 
few  days  to  visit  my  aunt,  the  Duchess  of  Meiningen,  at  Co- 
burg.  I  have  always  forgotten  to  mention  that  she  had  come 
to  Baireuth  purposely  to  thank  me  for  the  attentions  I  had 
shown  her  at  Berlin.  This  wicked  woman  had  been  the  cause 
of  all  the  misfortunes  that  had  overtaken  Culmbach,  for  she 
had  really  plundered  the  unfortunate  inhabitants.  During  the 
time  she  was  married  to  Margrave  Christian  Ernst  she  had 
appropriated  to  herself  all  the  treasures,  and  after  his  death 
had  taken  possession  of  the  Allodial  Estates.  The  castle  was 
at  that  time  beautifully  furnished  and  decorated ;  and  the 
duchess,  not  satisfied  with  taking  away  all  the  contents, 
caused  the  wood-work  to  be  broken  and  destroyed,  as  she  was 
unable  to  carry  that  off,  too.  She  was  very  rich,  and  her 
fortune  was  at  her  sole  disposal.  She  had  promised  to  make 
me  her  heiress,  and  as  I  knew  her  friendly  feelings  for  me  I 
determined  to  pay  her  a  visit. 

My  father-in-law  received  me  very  kindly  on  my  return  to 
Baireuth,  and  asked  me  when  I  intended  starting  for  Berlin. 
I  answered  that  I  bad  not  yet  received  my  answer  from  the 
king,  and  that  I  could  not  travel  without  money.  I  had 
thought  it  wiser  not  to  mention  the  letter  I  received  from  my 
father  at  Baiersdorf.  He  on  his  part  never  made  mention  to 
me  of  the  letter  he  had  had  from  the  king.  "I  am  quite 
aware  that  all  this  is  causing  endless  delay,"  the  Margrave 
said,  "  and  in  order  no  longer  to  postpone  your  Royal  High- 


270        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH. 

ness's  departure  I  had  much  rather  sacrifice  ten  thousand 
florins."  He  said  this  in  a  most  ironical  tone,  and  I  at  once 
perceived  how  desirous  he  was  of  getting  rid  of  me.  I  thanked 
him,  and  said  that  as  2000  thalers  would  suffice  for  my  journey 
I  gratefully  accepted  that  sum.  He  promised  to  send  me  the 
money  next  day ;  but  he  had  never  meant  to  keep  his  word, 
and  I  received  only  one  thousand,  which  would  scarcely  pay 
for  the  necessary  post-horses. 

I  left  for  Coburg  on  the  3d  of  November.  I  had  only  eight 
miles  *  to  go,  but  the  weather  and  the  roads  were  so  bad  that 
I  arrived  half  dead  from  fatigue  at  eleven  that  night.  I  found 
my  aunt  dressed  out,  as  was  her  wont,  with  flowers  and  fringes. 
She  received  me  most  affectionately,  calling  me  her  "  beloved 
niece."  She  had  prepared  her  own  rooms  for  my  use.  They 
were  most  richly  decorated  with  silver.  It  made  me  very  sad 
to  see  all  these  things ;  for  they  had  the  Brunswick  arms  on 
them,  and  I  considered  them  stolen  goods,  as  the  duchess  had 
carried  them  off  from  their  rightful  owner.  The  castle  was 
an  old  building,  resembling  a  fortress,  and  the  tower  was  very 
ugly.  My  stay  at  Coburg  lasted  only  one  day,  which  I  spent 
in  working  and  talking  to  the  duchess.  I  never  perceived  the 
slightest  signs  of  her  intending  to  keep  all  her  fine  promises — 
indeed,  I  was  informed  that  she  had  never  had  the  least  inten- 
tion of  making  me  her  heiress.  I  left  Coburg  on  the  5th, 
shaking  the  dust  off  my  feet  as  I  did  so. 

I  found  the  Margrave  ill  on  my  return  to  Baireuth.  The 
disorderly  life  he  led  and  his  habits  of  intemperance  had  se- 
riously affected  his  health.  It  was  with  the  greatest  trouble 
that  I  persuaded  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  to  remain  with 
my  daughter.  The  Margrave  was  now  apparently  very  fond 
of  her,  and  treated  her  very  kindly,  so  that  at  length  she  con- 
sented to  take  charge  of  the  child.  I  was  much  surprised  to 
observe  that  all  the  letters  I  now  received  from  Berlin  contra- 

*  Sixteen  English  miles. 


MEMOIRS    OF  THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        271 

dieted  one  another.  My  brother's  letters  were  full  of  the 
brightest  anticipations,  while  those  from  the  queen  and  Grum- 
kow  contained  hints  of  a  very  disagreeable  nature.  I  was 
greatly  agitated  at  this.  I  had  still  hoped  to  see  my  sister-in- 
law,  the  Princess  of  Taxis,  who  now,  however,  sent  her  father 
her  excuses  for  not  coming  to  Baireuth.  She  was  ill,  she  said, 
and  must  postpone  her  visit.  As  there  was  no  reason  to  delay 
my  journey  further,  I  started  for  Berlin  on  the  12th.  I  did 
not  take  a  very  tender  leave  of  the  Margrave,  who  could  not 
conceal  his  pleasure  at  my  departure. 

My  suite  consisted  of  the  governess,  Mademoiselle  von  Grum- 
kow,  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  (whom  I  had  taken  as  lady-in- 
waiting),  and  M.  von  Seckendorf.  Bindemann  had  left  me, 
and  the  Margrave  would  not  allow  M.  von  Voit  to  accompany 
me.  I  intended  making  the  journey  in  five  days,  in  order  to 
arrive  before  the  king  left  for  Hamburg  on  the  17th.  The 
weather  was  dreadful,  and  the  roads  were  so  bad  that,  in  spite 
of  all  the  haste  I  used,  I  got  only  as  far  as  Hof,  which  I  reached 
at  eleven  at  night.  It  was  but  six  miles*  from  Baireuth.  My 
luggage  had  not  arrived,  so  that  I  had  to  lie  down  on  a  wretch- 
ed bed  without  undressing.  I  scarcely  slept  all  night.  My 
things  arrived  only  at  two  in  the  morning,  and  I  desired  that 
they  might  be  sent  on,  in  the  hopes  of  my  finding  them  ready 
for  me  next  night.  The  next  day's  journey  was  a  very  long 
one.  I  left  at  three  in  the  morning,  reaching  Schleiz  at  noon. 
I  bad  some  refreshment  brought  to  the  carriage ;  for  I  would 
not  alight,  as  I  was  anxious  to  arrive  early  at  Gera,  which  was 
two  stations  farther  on.  The  first  stage  I  accomplished  in  four 
hours,  and  when  I  arrived  at  the  second  station  found  no  horses, 
although  they  had  been  ordered  two  days  before.  Only  one 
other  carriage  accompanied  me,  which  contained  M.  von  Seck- 
endorf and  my  maids.  The  postmaster  was  much  distressed, 
and  begged  me  for  God's  sake  not  to  proceed  farther,  as  the 
roads  were  almost  impassable. 

*  Twelve  English  miles. 


272        MEMOIRS   OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

"  You  will  have  to  pass  through  a  large  wood,"  lie  said, 
"  where  people  are  daily  being  robbed  and  murdered ;  and  as 
the  same  horses  must  take  you  on  to  Gera,  you  will  not  reach 
it  till  very  late.  I  am  obliged  to  tell  you  all  this,  as  I  cannot 
take  the  responsibility."  I  was  extremely  vexed  at  this  advice. 
My  ladies  wished  us  to  spend  the  night  in  this  village;  but 
we  had  no  beds,  no  cooks,  and  the  only  available  house  looked 
like  a  robber's  cave,  and  was  so  dirty  that  it  made  one  ill  only 
to  look  into  it.  I  therefore  made  up  my  mind  at  once,  and 
determined  most  heroically  to  continue  my  journey.  I  was 
really  very  frightened  at  heart. 

Alas !  the  postmaster's  advice  was  but  too  well  justified. 
The  roads  were  indeed  awful ;  every  moment  we  were  in  dan- 
ger of  being  upset,  and  to  make  matters  worse  darkness  was 
coming  on  rapidly.  We  had  torches  with  us;  but  these,  un- 
fortunately, went  out  as  we  entered  the  wood,  and  this  tended 
to  increase  the  terror  we  were  in.  As  we  proceeded  .on  our 
way  we  heard  whistling  round  about  us.  I  trembled  from 
fright,  and  the  cold  perspiration  stood  on  my  forehead.  My 
ladies  were  in  much  the  same  plight.  At  last,  at  two  in  the 
morning,  we  reached  Gera  safely,  but  more  dead  than  alive. 
The  terrible  agitation  I  had  been  in,  though  remaining  outward- 
ly calm,  had  made  me  seriously  ill.  My  impatience  to  see  the 
hereditary  prince,  however,  restored  my  failing  strength  suffi- 
ciently to  enable  me  to  start  again  next  morning,  and  I  finally 
arrived  at  Berlin  at  eight  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  16th 
of  November. 

Whether  it  was  to  punish  me  for  ray  sins  or  not  I  cannot 
tell ;  but  the  king  had  left  that  very  day  for  Potsdam,  and  the 
queen  was  occupied  with  her  devotions.  No  one  met  me,  al- 
though I  had  sent  on  a  messenger  to  announce  my  arrival.  It 
was  pitch  dark  when  I  got  out  of  the  carriage,  and  I  was  so 
stiff  from  sitting  still  for  so  long  a  time  that  I  fell  full  length 
on  the  ground.  M.  von  Brand,  one  of  the  queen's  chamber- 
lains, who  happened  to  be  passing  at  the  moment,  helped  me 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGKAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         273 

up  again,  and  giving  me  his  hand  led  me  to  my  room.  No- 
body received  me  except  one  of  my  sisters,  who  met  me  in 
one  of  the  antechambers.  Neither  did  I  see  my  brother,  and 
this  added  much  to  my  discomposure.  I  caught  sight  of  the 
queen  in  the  distance  in  her  bedroom,  where  she  was  trying  to 
make  up  her  mind  whether  she  would  receive  me  in  her  audi- 
ence-room or  not.  She  at  last  decided  to  do  so.  After  having 
embraced  me,  she  led  me  to  ray  husband.  My  joy  at  seeing 
him  again  made  me  quite  forget  the  cruelty  of  my  reception. 
My  mother  left  me,  however,  not  a  moment  to  speak  to  him, 
but  led  me  to  her  boudoir.  When  we  had  reached  it  she  threw 
herself  into  an  arm-chair,  and  looking  very  coldly  at  me,  said, 
"What  do  you  want  here?"  This  was  a  terrible  beginning, 
and  pierced  me  to  the  heart.  At  last  I  took  courage,  and  re- 
plied, "  I  have  come  here  by  the  king's  orders,  and  also  to  see 
my  mother,  whom  I  adore,  and  the  separation  from  whom  is 
unbearable."  "You  had  far  better  say  that  you  pierce  her 
heart,  as  it  were,  with  daggers,"  my  mother  interrupted  me ; 
"  that  you  have  come  here  in  order  to  show  all  the  world  what 
a  fool  you  were  to  marry  a  beggar.  Why  do  you  not  remain 
at  Baireuth,  where  you  can  hide  your  poverty,  instead  of  mak- 
ing an  exhibition  of  it  here?  I  have  told  you  before  that  the 
king  will  do  nothing  for  you,  and  that  he  has  long  ago  repent- 
ed of  all  the  promises  he  made  you.  You  will  be  a  terrible 
nuisance  to  me  with  your  everlasting  complaints,  and  will  be  a 
trouble  to  all  of  us !"  The  impression  these  words  made  on 
me  is  easily  to  be  conceived.  I  burst  into  tears,  and  fell  on 
my  knees  before  the  queen,  kissing  her  hands.  I  endeavored 
to  soften  her  by  tender  words  and  entreaties.  She  let  me  be, 
for  half  an  hour  at  least,  without  answering  one  word. 

Moved  at  length  by  my  tears,  or  by  the  feeling  that  she  must 
outwardly,  at  least,  show  some  semblance  of  kindness,  she  told 
me  to  get  up,  saying,  "  I  will  have  pity  on  yon  and  forget  the 
past;  but  I  advise  you  to  behave  differently  for  the  future." 
The  queen  then  rose  and  left  the  room.  I  was  beside  myself 
18 


274         MEMOIKS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

with  distress ;  and  seeing  one  of  the  queen's  ladies,  Mademoi- 
selle von  Pannewitz,  who  had  been  a  great  friend  of  mine,  I 
fell  on  her  neck,  and  wished  to  pour  out  my  woes  to  her.  She, 
however,  looked  at  me  from  head  to  foot,  and  scarcely  even 
vouchsafed  to  answer  me.  All  the  queen's  other  ladies  re- 
ceived me  in  the  same  fashion  excepting  Madame  von  Konnken, 
who  entreated  me  to  control  myself,  saying  all  might  yet  change 
for  the  better.  I  did  not  dare  address  my  husband.  We 
looked  sadly  at  each  other.  He  observed  that  I  had  under- 
gone some  terrible  agitation,  and  sighed  in  silence.  Although 
I  had  had  no  food  I  was  unable  to  eat  a  niorsei,  for  my  sister 
Charlotte  did  nothing  else  during  supper  but  turn  me  into  rid- 
icule. Whenever  she  made  any  spiteful  joke  she  received  ap- 
proving glances  from  the  queen.  I  took  no  notice  whatever 
of  her  behavior,  though  I  was  inwardly  boiling  over  with  an- 
ger. My  other  sisters,  Sophie  and  Ulrika,  whispered  to  me  as 
we  got  up  from  supper  how  dearly  they  loved  me,  but  that  my 
mother  had  forbidden  them  to  speak  to  me.  In  spite  of  my 
being  dead  tired,  the  queen  kept  me  up  till  one  in  the  morning. 
When  the  hereditary  prince  and  I  were  at  last  left  alone  togeth- 
er we  gave  free  vent  to  our  feelings,  and  poured  out  our  woes 
to  each  other.  I  told  him  in  the  presence  of  my  governess 
how  I  had  been  received,  whereupon  she  told  us  her  own  re- 
ception, and  that  of  my  other  ladies  had  been  as  bad. 

I  spent  a  miserable  night.  Next  day  I  wrote  to  the  king 
and  informed  him  of  my  arrival.  My  brother's  master  of  the 
horse  brought  me  a  letter,  in  which  the  crown  prince  wrote  that 
he  would  come  and  see  me  in  two  days.  The  prospect  of  this 
visit  cheered  me.  My  affection  for  my  brother  was  as  great 
as  ever,  and  he  was  now  my  only  refuge.  My  sister  Charlotte 
came  to  see  me,  but  instead  of  speaking  with  me  joked  all  the 
time  with  my  husband.  Everybody  thought  me  terribly  al- 
tered in  appearance,  and  it  was  quite  true;  for  I  was  nothing  but 
skin  and  bone.  This  day  the  queen  was  kinder  to  me.  She 
no  longer  held  receptions,  but  lived  entirely  with  her  children 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         275 

and  her  household.  It  was  a  lonely  existence,  for  she  did  not 
any  longer  receive  even  the  Princesses  of  the  Blood.  Of  an  af- 
ternoon the  queen  was  read  aloud  to  while  she  worked,  and  in 
the  evening  she  played  cards.  After  dinner  coffee  was  drunk 
in  her  room,  and  then  all  took  their  leave,  with  the  exception  of 
the  lady  that  was  on  duty.  This  mode  of  life  was  not  particu- 
larly cheerful.  I  received  many  visits ;  but  they  were  more  those 
of  ceremony,  as  my  visitors  said  many  unamiable  things  to  me. 

The  king  came  next  day  to  Berlin.  I  had  hoped  that  his 
presence  would  put  an  end  to  the  miserable  state  of  things;  but 
alas !  I  was  greatly  mistaken.  My  father  received  me  very  cold- 
ly. He  exclaimed,  on  seeing  me,  "  S®  here  you  are — I  am  glad 
to  see  you !"  He  then  led  me  up  to  the  light,  and  looking  at 
me,  said,  "How  you  are  changed!  How  is  little  Frederica?" 
I  replied  that  she  kissed  his  hands.  The  king  then  continued, 
"  I  pity  you  both  ;  you  have  not  even  bread,  and  if  I  did  not  help 
you,  where  would  you  be?  I  too  am  a  poor  man,  and  cannot 
give  you  much,  but  I  will  try  and  see  what  I  can  do  for  you. 
I  will  give  you  from  time  to  time  ten  thalers  or  florins,  and  that 
will  be  of  some  use.  And  you,"  my  father  said,  turning  to  the 
queen,  "  you  can  occasionally  give  her  a  dress,  for  the  poor  child 
has  nothing  to  wear  but  what  she  has  on  at  this  moment !" 

I  thought  this  speech  would  have  killed  me,  and  I  bitterly 
regretted  the  faith  I  had  placed  in  the  king's  promises.  Next 
day  at  dinner  the  king  spoke  in  the  same  manner.  The  hered- 
itary prince,  who  was  present,  blushed  to  the  roots  of  his  hair, 
and  replied  that  a  prince  who  .possessed  such  a  country  as  his 
own  was  could  never  be  counted  a  beggar.  His  position  was 
thus  precarious  only  because  he  had  a  father  who  gave  him  no 
means  of  subsistence.  In  this  he  did  not  act  very  differently 
to  other  people.  It  was  now  my  father's  turn  to  get  red,  for 
he  must  have  observed  that  my  husband  was  alluding  to  the 
manner  in  which  he  had  treated  me  and  my  brother.  At  length 
next  day  I  had  the  great  joy  of  seeing  this  beloved  brother.  I 
\vas  with  the  queen  as  he  entered  the  room.  He  was  so  over- 


276        MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MAKGKAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

come  with  joy  at  seeing  me  that  he  did  not  say  a  word  to  her, 
but  rushed  forward  to  embrace  me.  Many  and  tender  were  our 
words  of  greeting.  My  brother  was  greatly  surprised  when  I 
told  him  of  the  reception  I  had  met  with.  He  said  that  he 
could  not  understand  it  at  all,  and  that  he  would  speak  with  Grum- 
kow  and  Seckendorf  that  very  evening  about  it.  He  told  me 
he  was  on  the  best  possible  footing  with  these  two,  and  that 
he  would  beg  them  to  find  means  of  obliging  the  queen  to  treat 
me  properly.  While  the  crown  prince  and  I  were  talking  to- 
gether, the  queen  was  walking  up  and  down  the  room  with  my 
sister  Charlotte.  We  now  approached  my  mother  again  and 
went  to  dinner  with  her.  While  we  were  at  table  the  queen 
began  to  speak  of  the  Princess  of  Brunswick.  She  turned  to 
me  and  said,  "  Your  brother  is  in  despair  at  being  obliged  to 
marry  her ;  and  I  can  quite  understand  it.  She  is  the  silliest 
creature  on  earth ;  she  can  only  say  '  Yes '  and  '  No,'  and  laughs 
so  idiotically  that  it  makes  one  quite  ill."  My  sister  Charlotte 
now  interrupted  her  by  saying,  "  But  my  dear  mother  is  quite 
unaware  of  her  other  charms.  I  was  present  one  morning 
when  she  was  dressing,  and  it  was  terrible  to  see  her.  She  is 
quite  deformed ;  her  stays  are  padded  on  one  side,  as  one  hip 
is  higher  than  the  other."  I  was  quite  aghast  at  such  things 
being  said  in  my  brother's  presence  of  the  princess  he  was  about 
to  marry.  I  observed  that  he  was  very  uncomfortable,  and 
never  uttered  a  word.  This  conversation  was  continued  during 
the  whole  of  dinner.  After  it  my  brother  bade  the  queen 
good-night,  and  I  went  to  my  room. 

Next  day  the  crown  prince  came  to  see  me.  He  told  me 
he  had  asked  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  to  speak  to  the  king 
about  my  affairs,  and  that  they  had  promised  to  consider  what 
had  best  be  done.  When  they  had  come  to  a  decision  they 
would  speak  to  me.  If  I  approved  of  their  plan  they  would 
then  speak  to  the  king  about  it,  and  endeavor  to  get  his  con- 
sent. T  asked  the  crown  prince  if  he  was  satisfied  witli  the 
king.  He  replied  that  his  position  changed  daily.  One  day 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        277 

he  was  in  favor  with  his  father,  and  then  the  next  in  disgrace. 
The  distance  he  lived  from  Berlin  was  a  most  fortunate  circum- 
stance. My  brother  said  he  led  a  most  pleasant  life  at  Ruppin, 
dividing  his  time  between  music  and  the  study  of  the  sciences. 
I  then  asked  the  crown  prince  if  the  picture  the  queen  had 
drawn  of  the  Princess  of  Brunswick  were  a  correct  one,  and  ex- 
pressed my  surprise  that  such  remarks  should  have  been  made 
about  the  princess  before  him.  My  brother  replied, "  To  be 
quite  candid  with  you,  my  mother  is,  by  her  constant  intrigues, 
the  cause  of  all  our  troubles  and  unhappiness.  Instead  of 
keeping  quiet  after  your  marriage,  and  letting  things  rest,  she 
opened  fresh  negotiations  with  England.  She  hoped  to  break 
off  my  sister  Charlotte's  engagement  to  Prince  Charles  of  Bev- 
ern,  and  secure  the  Prince  of  Wales  for  her,  and  by  that  means 
to  arrange  my  marriage  with  Princess  Amelia  of  England.  The 
result  of  this  move  was  fresh  quarrels  between  her  and  the 
king.  Seckendorf  then  interfered,  and,  to  put  an  end  to  the 
whole  business,  the  king  settled  the  marriage  between  the 
Princess  of  Brunswick  and  myself.  Finding  it  impossible  to 
alter  my  father's  decision,  the  queen  now  says  everything  that 
is  ill  of  the  princess.  She  would  like  me  to  quarrel  with  the 
king  by  telling  him  that  I  cannot  bear  my  future  wife.  I  am 
not  going  to  be  as  foolish  as  that.  I  really  do  not  dislike  her 
as  much  as  I  pretend  to  do.  I  only  give  out  that  I  do,  in  or- 
der that  my  obedience  to  the  king's  wishes  may  have  greater 
weight."  The  crown  prince  then  continued :  "The  Princess  of 
Brunswick  is  very  pretty,  with  a  complexion  that  can  only  be 
compared  to  roses  and  lilies.  She  has  delicate  features,  and 
must  be  considered  a  very  pretty  girl.  She  dresses  very  badly, 
and  her  education  has  been  greatly  neglected.  I  hope,  when 
the  princess  comes  here,  you  will  be  kind  to  her,  and  will  try 
and  remedy  some  of  the  defects  in  her  bringing-up.  I  recom- 
mend her  to  you,  and  ask  you  to  take  her  under  your  protec- 
tion." I  am  sure  that  I  need  not  say  how  gladly  I  promised 
my  brother  to  do  as  he  asked  me. 


278        MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

The  king  told  the  queen  he  had  arranged  that  a  company  of 
German  actors  should  visit  Berlin,  and  he  wished  us  to  attend 
the  representation  given  by  them  that  evening.  My  father  was 
so  delighted  with  the  performance  that  we  were  obliged  to  go 
to  the  theatre  every  night  as  long  as  these  actors  remained  in 
Berlin.  The  performance  lasted  four  hours,  and  you  were 
obliged  to  sit  as  still  as  if  in  church.  It  was  bitterly  cold  in 
the  theatre.  A  few  days  later  my  brother  told  me  Seckendorf 
wished  to  speak  to  me,  and  that  I  was  to  send  for  him  secretly. 
The  crown  prince  then  added,  laughingly,  "  He  is  a  good  man, 
who  sends  me  from  time  to  time  ships  laden  with  gold.  I  have 
told  him  that  he  must  send  the  same  to  you.  I  yesterday  re- 
ceived one  of  these  freights,  which  I  am  going  to  divide  with 
you,  as  a  good  brother  should.  My  brother  really  brought  me 
a  thousand  thalers  next  day,  and  promised  me  more.  At  first 
I  refused  to  accept  the  sum,  as  I  did  not  wish  to  become  a 
burden  on  his  purse.  My  brother,  however,  threw  up  his  head 
in  the  air,  saying,  "  You  can  take  it  without  fear.  The  empress 
sends  me  as  much  money  as  I  want,  and  I  assure  you  I  spend 
it  all  as  quickly  as  I  receive  it." 

My  interview  with  Seckendorf  placed  me  in  a  great  difficulty. 
The  queen  hated  him  more  than  ever,  She  had  surrounded  me 
with  her  spies,  who  watched  me  day  and  night,  and  told  her 
everything  I  did,  and  even  who  came  to  see  me.  The  hereditary 
prince,  however,  succeeded  in  introducing  Seckendorf  into  my 
rooms  without  any  one  else  being  aware  of  it.  I  described  my 
position  at  Berlin  to  him  as  well  as  that  at  Baireuth.  I  have 
forgotten  to  mention  that  the  Margrave,  my  father-in-law, 
thought  most  highly  of  Seckendorf,  and  had  great  confidence 
in  him.  Seckendorf  shrugged  his  shoulders  at  the  recital  of 
my  troubles,  and  replied,  "  I  fear  the  evil  is  not  to  be  remedied 
on  either  side.  I  know  the  Margrave  thoroughly ;  he  is  false, 
deceitful,  and  very  suspicious.  His  small  mind  is  perpetually 
troubled  by  the  fear  that  he  may  be  forced  to  abdicate.  It 
will  require  ages  to  put  this  idea  out  of  his  head,  and  when  we 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTII.         279 

have  succeeded  in  this  he  will  take  up  some  new  fancy,  and  we 
shall  have  all  the  trouble  over  again.  I  fear  we  cannot  hope 
for  any  change.  And  now,  as  regards  the  other  side  with  whom 
we  have  to  reckon.  We  have  here  to  do  with  a  sovereign  whose 
idol  is  money.  He  cannot  be  led  or  influenced.  If  anything  is 
to  be  obtained  it  will  depend  on  the  first  impression  made  on 
him.  He  has  long  since  repented  the  promises  he  made  you  at 
the  Hermitage,  and  will  try  and  pick  some  quarrel  with  you  in 
order  to  have  an  excuse  for  not  keeping  them.  Your  Royal 
Highness  must,  therefore, arm  yourself  with  patience.  The  Mar- 
grave's death  alone  can,  in  my  opinion,  alter  your  position  for 
the  better.  He  lias  never  had  good  health,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  he  will  soon  drink  himself  to  death." 

Seckendorf  then  continued  to  say,  "It  is  now  time  that  I 
should  deliver  to  your  Royal  Highness  the  messages  with  which 
the  empress  has  intrusted  me.  She  has  desired  me  to  assure 
you  of  her  great  affection  and  respect  for  you.  The  very  fa- 
vorable description  that  has  been  made  of  your  Royal  Highness 
has  greatly  impressed  the  empress.  She  will  do  all  in  her  pow- 
er to  give  you  proofs  of  her  friendship,  and  in  return  solicits 
your  protection  for  the  young  Princess  of  Brunswick.  The 
dislike  the  crown  prince  has  manifested  towards  the  princess 
makes  the  empress  very  anxious.  She  had  much  hoped  she 
should  see  the  young  couple  happy  and  united,  and  that  this 
marriage  might  strengthen  the  alliance  between  Austria  and 
Prussia.  The  great  love  and  friendship  your  brother  bears  you 
and  your  influence  with  him  are  important  factors.  The  em- 
press feels  that  no  one  can  do  more  in  bringing  about  a  better 
understanding  between  the  crown  prince  and  the  princess  than 
your  Royal  Highness.  She  will  be  everlastingly  grateful  to  you 
if  you  will  help  in  this  direction."  I  assured  Seckendorf  how 
truly  sensible  I  was  of  the  empress's  kind  feelings  towards  me, 
and  how  much  flattered  I  felt  by  them.  I  begged  him  to  as- 
sure her  that  I  considered  it  my  duty,  since  my  brother  was 
engaged  to  her  niece,  to  do  all  in  my  power  to  bring  about  a 


280        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

more  satisfactory  state  of  tilings  between  them.  I  then  com- 
plained bitterly  to  Seckendorf  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
king  treated  me.  He  begged  me  not  to  distress  myself  about 
it.  It  was  the  king's  way,  he  said,  and  could  not  be  altered. 

This  conversation  encouraged  me.  My  husband  and  my 
brother  were  my  only  comfort,  and  alone  diverted  my  sad 
thoughts.  I  should  soon,  however,  have  to  part  from  the  crown 
prince.  He  was  to  return  to  his  regiment  in  a  few  days,  and 
the  king  was  to  leave  soon  afterwards.  My  father  desired  my 
mother,  before  he  left,  to  visit  the  theatre  every  evening  during 
his  absence.  He  was  away  only  a  short  time,  and  then  returned 
to  Berlin,  where  he  remained  till  after  the  New  Year.  The  king 
amused  himself  during  that  time  in  visiting  the  theatre  and  in 
going  out  to  all  kinds  of  festivities.  Grumkow  and  Seckendorf 
and  the  other  generals  gave  him  big  dinners,  at  which  a  great 
deal  too  much  wine  was  drunk.  My  poor  husband  was  obliged 
to  be  present  on  all  these  occasions. 

The  king  really  treated  us  shamefully.  He  scarcely  looked 
at  us,  and  if  he  did  so  it  was  only  for  the  purpose  of  making 
unpleasant  remarks.  The  queen,  on  the  other  hand,  was  most 
affectionate  in  her  manner  towards  the  hereditary  prince,  while 
she  vented  all  her  anger  on  me.  This  was  all  my  sister  Char- 
lotte's doing,  who  did  nothing  but  speak  ill  of  me  to  my  moth- 
er, while  she  praised  the  prince,  with  whom  she  pretended  to  be 
in  love.  My  sister  ruled  the  queen  so  entirely  that  she  often 
even  treated  her  like  a  common  servant.  She  was  very  jealous 
of  my  brother's  friendship  for  me,  and  believed  my  husband 
would  show  her  greater  attention  if  I  did  not  prevent  him  from 
doing  so. 

My  health  was  failing  more  and  more ;  I  grew  daily  thinner, 
and  at  times  could  scarcely  breathe.  Besides  this,  I  was  in  con- 
stant anxiety  about  my  husband.  He  easily  became  feverish; 
and  these  constant  dinners,  at  which  he  was  forced  to  drink 
more  than  he  liked  or  was  accustomed  to,  added  to  the  daily 
annoyances  and  worries,  did  him  much  harm.  One  day  he  re- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.        281 

turned  home  from  one  of  these  famous  dinner-parties  looking 
pale  as  death,  and  trembling  all  over  with  fury.  I  was  terribly 
frightened  at  his  appearance,  and  still  more  so  when  he  sud- 
denly fainted  away.  Although  more  dead  than  alive  I  rushed 
to  his  assistance.  When  he  regained  consciousness,  he  told  me 
that  he  had  had  a  fearful  scene  with  the  king.  My  father  had 
on  this  occasion,  contrary  to  his  usual  habit,  not  asked  the 
hereditary  prince  to  sit  next  him,  but  had  placed  Count  Seck- 
endorf  between  them.  The  king  suddenly  said,  in  quite  a  loud 
voice,  so  that  the  prince  could  not  help  hearing  it,  "  I  cannot 
bear  my  son-in-law  ;  he  is  a  complete  fool.  I  have  given  myself 
endless  trouble  to  put  some  sense  into  his  head,  but  all  in  vain. 
lie  is  not  even  clever  enough  to  drink  a  glass  of  wine,  and 
nothing  pleases  or  amuses  him." 

My  husband,  who  could  scarcely  contain  his  anger,  and  was 
just  going  to  drink  the  king's  health,  turned  round  to  Secken- 
dorf  and  said,  "  I  wish  the  king  were  not  my  father-in-law,  for 
then  I  would  soon  show  him  that  the  fool  is  able  to  stop  his 
mouth."  Having  said  this  he  took  up  his  glass,  and  putting  it 
to  his  mouth  said,  "  In  the  devil's  name."  The  king  became 
scarlet  with  rage,  but  said  nothing,  and  all  the  others  looked 
down.  After  dinner  was  over  the  king  got  into  his  carriage 
and  drove  home  alone.  In  general  my  husband  drove  with  him, 
but  he  did  not  on  this  occasion  ask  him  to  do  so.  As  there 
was  no  other  carriage  the  prince  had  to  walk  home  on  foot. 
It  was  a  long  way,  and  the  cold  was  intense.  My  husband  was 
in  such  a  state  of  fury,  as  he  gave  me  this  account,  that  I  feared 
every  moment  he  would  have  a  fit.  I  did  not  think  he  was 
in  a  condition  to  go  to  the  theatre,  and  therefore  begged  the 
queen  kindly  to  excuse  us  both  on  the  plea  of  indisposition. 
My  mother  sent  me  back  word  that  my  husband  must  put  in 
an  appearance  that  evening,  for  she  could  not  otherwise  an- 
swer for  the  consequences  with  the  king.  We  were,  therefore, 
obliged  to  accept  the  inevitable  and  go.  I  was  crying  bitterly, 
and  had  pulled  a  hood  far  over  my  face  to  try  and  hide  my 


282        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

agitation.  The  prince  was  pale  as  death,  and  muttered  to  him- 
self all  the  time.  The  king  never  spoke  a  word,  and  as  soon 
as  supper  was  over  we  retired  to  our  rooms.  My  husband  was 
very  ill  all  night:  he  insisted  on  our  at  once  returning  to  Bai- 
reuth,  in  which  I  entirely  agreed  with  him.  Grumkow  and 
Seckendorf,  who  came  to  see  him  next  morning,  urged  him 
strongly  to  reconsider  his  decision.  He  gave  in  to  their  wishes 
and  consented  to  remain,  after  having  obtained  a  promise  from 
them  to  speak  to  the  king,  and  represent  to  him  that  he  must 
behave  differently  towards  the  hereditary  prince.  As  long  as 
the  king  remained  at  Berlin  my  husband  and  he  continued 
growling  at  each  other.  At  length  my  father  went  to  Pots- 
dam, where  we  followed  him  on  the  10th  of  January,  1733. 

The  hereditary  prince's  health  had  suffered  greatly ;  he 
grew  very  thin,  and  was  tormented  by  a  nasty  dry  cough. 
The  remedies  given  him  seemed  to  do  him  no  good,  and  the 
doctors  were  seriously  afraid  he  was  going  into  a  consumption. 
He  could  take  no  care  of  himself  whatever.  He  had  to  be  on 
parade  every  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  and  we  never  got  to  bed 
till  three  in  the  morning.  We  spent  four  or  five  hours  every 
evening  listening  to  Montbaille's  fairy  tales,  or  to  old  legends 
of  the  Hanoverian  family,  all  of  which  we  knew  by  heart.  I 
had  been  in  many  painful  and  difficult  positions  during  my  life, 
but  none  to  equal  the  present.  I  loved  my  husband  so  tender- 
ly, and  I  saw  him  fading  away  without  being  able  to  nurse 
him  properly.  I  had,  so  to  speak,  nothing  to  live  on  ;  I  was  tor- 
mented and  ill-treated  on  all  sides,  and  was  besides  that  myself 
constantly  ill  and  suffering.  My  one  happy  thought  was  that 
of  my  death.  Life  had  become  such  a  burden  to  rne  that  I 
longed  for  it  to  be  over.  I  can  say,  without  exaggeration,  that 
for  two  years  I  had  scarcely  eaten  anything  else  but  a  little  dry 
bread,  and  I  drank  only  water. 

The  king  was  greatly  distressed  at  the  King  of  Poland's 
death,  which  took  place  about  this  time.  Grumkow  had  seen 
him  a  few  days  before  he  died  at  Frauenstadt,  where  he  had 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        283 

gone  to  welcome  him  in  my  father's  name.  The  King  of  Po- 
land took  an  affectionate  leavje  of  him,  saying,  "I  shall  never 
see  you  again."  I  do  not  know  how  it  was,  whether  Grumkow 
was  much  struck  by  these  words,  or  whether  it  was  a  coinci- 
dence, but  at  any  rate  Grumkow  came  to  see  my  father  the 
very  day  the  King  of  Poland  died,  and  told  my  father  he  was 
sure  the  king  was  dead.  He  had  appeared  to  him  in  the 
night,  pulled  his  bed-curtains  aside,  and  looked  at  him  fixedly. 
Grumkow  said,  "  I  was  wide  awake,  and  wanted  to  jump  out  of 
bed,  but  the  apparition  vanished."  It  turned  out  afterwards 
that  the  King  of  Poland  had  really  died  at  the  very  hour  at 
which  he  appeared  to  Grumkow. 

My  husband's  illness  increased  at  Potsdam.  The  fatigues, 
which  were  much  greater  there  than  at  Berlin,  were  in  great 
measure  the  cause  of  this.  He  had  to  be  in  the  king's  room 
every  morning  at  nine  o'clock,  and  I  had  to  be  with  the  queen 
at  ten.  We  then  went  with  her  to  the  state-room,  which  was 
never  warmed,  and  remained  there  doing  nothing  till  noon. 
After  this  we  went  to  the  king's  private  rooms  to  bid  him 
good-morning,  and  then  went  to  dinner,  to  which  twenty-four 
guests  were  invited.  The  dinner  consisted  of  two  dishes,  the 
one  vegetables,  which  were  boiled  in  water,  on  the  top  of  which 
floated  some  melted  butter  with  chopped  herbs ;  the  other  pork 
and  cabbage,  of  which  every  one  got  only  a  very  small  portion. 
Sometimes  a  goose  was  served  or  a  tough  old  chicken,  and  on 
Sundays  there  was  one  sweet  dish.  A  very  long-winded  person 
sat  at  the  middle  of  the  table  over  against  the  king,  and  nar- 
rated the  news  of  the  day,  on  which  he  then  poured  forth  a 
flood  of  political  nonsense,  which  engendered  a  deadly  weari- 
ness. After  dinner  the  king  sat  in  his  arm-chair  near  the  fire 
and  went  to  sleep.  The  queen  and  my  sisters  sat  round  him 
and  listened  to  his  snores.  I  always  retired  to  my  own  rooms 
as  soon  as  dinner  was  over.  At  three  o'clock  the  king  went 
out  riding,  and  my  husband  and  I  went  to  the  queen.  When 
my  father  returned  home,  he  generally  occupied  himself  with 


284        MEMOIRS    OF   TTIE    MARGRAVINE    OP   IUIREUTH. 

drawing  or  painting  till  eight  o'clock,  when  he  went  to  his 
"Tabagie."  My  mother  meanwhile  played  at  "Tocadille" 
with  Madame  von  Konnken  and  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld 
till  we  went  to  supper  at  nine.  This  meal  lasted  four  or  five 
hours,  after  which  every  one  retired  to  bed.  Such  was  the  life 
we  led :  it  never  varied  in  the  least ;  each  day  resembled  its 
predecessor. 

The  hereditary  prince  grew  so  much  worse  that  he  could  no 
longer  leave  his  bed.  The  king  expressed  extreme  surprise  on 
being  informed  how  ill  my  husband  was.  I  have  often  men- 
tioned that  my  father's  faults  were  more  those  of  temper,  and 
that  he  really  had  a  very  kind  heart.  He  was  very  anxious  on 
hearing  of  my  husband's  condition.  He  visited  him  very  of- 
ten, and  thought  him  so  altered  that  he  summoned  all  the  doc- 
tors in  Potsdam,  and  sent  to  Berlin  for  a  celebrated  physician 
to  consult  about  the  hereditary  prince.  My  husband  could 
not  help  smiling  when  he  found  himself  surrounded  by  so 
many  students  of  vEsculapius.  He  asked  me  if  he  were  to  be 
hurried  into  another  world,  or  if  he  himself  were  to  become  a 
doctor.  Those  wise  heads  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
was  hope  of  my  husband's  recovery,  and  that  by  leading  a  quiet 
and  regular  life  he  might  escape  consumption.  I  was  quite 
alone  at  Potsdam,  my  ladies  and  gentlemen  having  remained  at 
Berlin.  I  never  left  my  husband  all  day  except  for  the  pur- 
pose of  paying  my  respects  to  the  king  and  queen,  and  then  I 
was  away  only  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  The  king  was  very 
kind  when  he  saw  me,  and  one  day  said,  "  I  know  what  is  the 
matter  with  your  Margrave.  He  is  annoyed  at  some  remarks 
which  I  made  at  dinner  not  long  ago,  and  also  at  being  laughed 
at  by  my  officers.  I  am  the  cause  of  it  all,  and  am  truly  sorry 
for  it.  I  really  meant  no  ill,  for  I  am  fond  of  your  Margrave. 
He  is  not  lively  enough,  and  I  wanted  to  cheer  him  up,  and 
caused  my  officers  to  make  jokes  at  him."  I  replied  that  there 
was  no  doubt  that  the  hereditary  prince  had  been  greatly  up- 
set by  the  manner  lie  had  been  treated  ;  that  he  would  never 


MEMOIRS    OF   THK    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIUEUTH.        285 

forget  the  respect  he  owed  his  father-in-law,  but  that  be  would 
not  stand  being  ridiculed  by  the  officers.  Up  to  this  time  he 
had  controlled  himself,  and  seemed  not  to  take  any  notice  of 
the  manner  in  which  he  was  treated,  but  I  did  not  know  how 
long  he  would  continue  to  do  so. 

Upon  this  the  king  replied,  "  My  officers  are  perfect  gentle- 
men, and  well  fitted  to  educate  your  husband.  He  must  be- 
come better  acquainted  with  them.  I  shall  tell  them  to  visit 
him  daily ;  they  will  cheer  him  up.  He  must  not  always  re- 
main among  women."  I  answered  that  I  was  sure  the  heredi- 
tary prince  would  be  very  pleased  to  see  the  officers,  but  that  I 
should  not,  however,  leave  his  side.  I  was  far  too  anxious 
about  him  to  be  away  from  him  for  any  length  of  time.  The 
king  answered  me,  "You  are  a  good  woman,  and  God  will 
bless  you.  You  love  your  husband :  let  nothing  ever  change 
that  affection  !"  The  queen  continued  her  old  system.  She 
scolded  me  incessantly,  and  spoke  of  the  hereditary  prince  in 
the  most  unbecoming  manner.  My  mother  could  not  bear  my 
being  with  him,  and  turned  my  devotion  to  him  into  ridicule. 
I  did  not  in  the  least  care  what  she  did,  but  went  on  quietly 
my  own  way.  Although  my  father  quite  approved  of  my 
conduct,  he  constantly  sent  officers  to  see  my  husband.  They 
were  for  the  most  part  uneducated,  wild  young  men,  who  were 
of  no  good  save  to  drill  and  train  soldiers.  My  husband  did 
not  like  them,  and  their  visits  prevented  our  quiet  talks  to- 
gether. They  annoyed  and  bothered  him,  and  his  health  suf- 
fered in  consequence.  He  was  obliged  also  to  weigh  every 
word  he  said  to  these  unwelcome  visitors,  as  he  knew  they  re- 
peated everything  to  the  king. 

The  Duke  of  Bevern  and  his  son  passed  through  Berlin  at 
this  time.  They  were  on  their  way  back  from  Vienna.  The 
duke  at  once  came  to  see  the  hereditary  prince,  and  found  him 
very  ill.  I  told  him  all  my  troubles,  and  he  promised  me  to 
speak  with  the  king,  and  try  and  bring  him  to  reason.  The 
duke  brought  me  a  beautiful  present  from  the  empress.  It 


286        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

was  a  brooch  in  the  shape  of  a  nosegay,  composed  of  emeralds 
and  diamonds.  She  sent  it  to  me,  she  said,  as  an  especial  mark 
of  her  affection  for  me.  The  presence  of  my  brother  and  of 
these  two  friends  did  much  towards  calming  my  husband's 
agitated  feelings.  Prince  Charles  and  he  were  very  intimate, 
and  the  former  spent  much  of  his  time  with  him.  The  duke 
meanwhile  tried  to  be  of  use  to  us  with  the  king.  He  succeeded 
in  preventing  the  visits  from  these  officers,  and  explained  to 
my  father  that  it  was  imperative  that  the  hereditary  prince 
should  have  perfect  quiet.  The  result  was  most  satisfactory, 
and  in  a  fortnight  the  prince's  health  had  so  much  improved 
that  he  was  able  to  leave  his  room.  He,  however,  still  coughed. 
The  king  received  him  very  kindly,  and  the  queen  overwhelmed 
him  with  affection. 

The  presence  of  the  Duke  of  Bevern  and  his  son  did  much 
towards  cheering  us.  Prince  Charles  had  greatly  improved, 
and  Princess  Charlotte  was,  so  to  speak,  in  "  love's  paradise." 
She  was  so  entirely  engrossed  with  Prince  Charles  that  she 
neglected  the  queen.  She,  to  humiliate  my  sister,  was  most 
kind  to  me,  even  giving  me  beautiful  presents.  My  sister's 
devotion  to  Prince  Charles  annoyed  my  mother  all  the  more, 
as  she  had  hoped  to  break  off  the  engagement  and  marry  her 
to  the  Prince  of  Wales.  The  queen  had  this  idea  so  firmly 
fixed  in  her  mind  that  nothing  would  persuade  her  that  her 
hopes  were  futile.  After  the  Duke  of  Bevern's  departure  I 
fell  back  into  disgrace.  Charlotte  regained  her  wonted  in- 
fluence over  the  queen,  and  I  had  to  suffer  for  the  peaceful 
days  I  had  enjoyed. 

The  king  only  waited  till  my  husband  had  entirely  recovered 
to  send  him  to  rejoin  his  regiment.  We  tried  to  put  off  this 
evil  day  as  long  as  possible.  The  hereditary  prince  was  to  set 
up  house  at  Pasewalk.  But  how  was  he  to  do  so  without  any 
means?  Seckendorf  endeavored  to  explain  this  to  the  king, 
and  tried  to  persuade  him  to  give  my  husband  a  sum  of  money 
uvery  month  to  enable  him  to  live.  My  father  answered  angri- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         287 

ly,  "  His  pay  will  suffice  for  that  purpose,  and  if  he  is  a  good 
manager  he  will  have  more  than  enough ;  but  then  he  is  such 
a  fool !"  It  needs  no  words  of  mine  to  describe  how  such  treat- 
ment hurt  us.  We  were  often  in  such  despair  that  we  made 
every  kind  of  impossible  plan  to  help  us  out  of  our  difficulties. 
We  thought  of  escaping  to  Holland  and  there  selling  my  jewels, 
which  were  very  valuable.  We  thought,  too,  of  remaining  there 
under  a  feigned  name  till  circumstances  took  a  more  favorable 
turn.  A  little  reflection  showed  us  the  absurdity  of  our  plans, 
and  we  determined,  therefore,  to  be  patient  and  not  to  lose  heart. 
At  last  the  sad  day  on  which  the  prince  was  to  leave  me 
drew  near,  and  I  was  in  the  greatest  distress.  He  left  me  on 
the  25th  of  March.  I  had  cried  so  much  that  my  face  was 
quite  disfigured.  I  was  nevertheless  obliged  to  appear  at  Court 
and  hide  my  sorrow  as  best  I  could.  My  father,  however,  ob- 
served it,  and  said,  "  You  are  sad,  and  have  cried  terribly."  I 
answered  that  it  was  so.  "  I  am  very  sorry,"  he  began  again, 
"  but  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  join  his  regi- 
ment." By  way  of  comforting  me  he  drank  my  health  and 
that  of  my  husband  at  dinner,  which  he  had  never  done  before. 
The  queen  was  more  cruel  towards  me  than  ever;  in  spite  of 
my  sore  eyes  and  weak  chest,  she  forced  me  to  read  aloud  to 
her  all  the  afternoon.  Perhaps  she  did  it  with  a  kind  intention, 
and  thought  to  distract  my  mind  from  my  sad  thoughts.  In 
spite  of  every  effort  to  control  my  grief,  my  face  showed  but 
too  plainly  what  I  suffered.  The  tears  were  constantly  in  my 
eyes,  do  what  I  would.  It  has  always  been  one  of  my  greatest 
faults  that  I  cannot  dissemble.  So  few  people  have  the  gift 
of  making  the  griefs  of  others  their  own — some  partly  because 
they  have  only  cause  for  happiness,  and  others  because  sorrow 
and  a  sad  face  are  unpleasant  to  them.  This  was  the  case  with 
the  king.  lie  was  by  nature  inclined  to  be  melancholy,  and 
for  that  reason  liked  to  be  surrounded  by  happy,  cheerful  faces. 
He  was  bored  by  my  distress,  and  told  the  queen  to  tell  me  so. 
Very  little  was  necessary  to  rouse  her  displeasure  against  me, 


288        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGHAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

and  she  scolded  rue  that  afternoon  for  two  whole  hours.  I 
had  nothing  to  cheer  or  distract  me;  I  was  separated  from  my 
husband,  and  in  constant  anxiety  about  him  and  the  fatigues 
to  which  he  would  be  exposed.  To  make  matters  worse,  I 
•was  obliged  to  be  present  at  the  king's  afternoon  sleep,  after 
which  he  made  me  sit  opposite  to  him,  without  speaking  a 
word  to  me.  He  did  this  merely  to  plague  me.  But  I  ob- 
serve that  I  have  not  for  some  time  mentioned  Baireuth. 

The  Margrave  was,  as  I  said  before,  delighted  at  my  depart- 
ure, and  flattered  himself  that  my  absence  would  last  some 
time.  He  wrote  me  from  time  to  time  very  civil  letters.  The 
refusal  of  his  daughter,  the  Princess  of  Taxis,  to  come  to  Bai- 
veuth  had  vexed  him  greatly.  On  nearer  inquiry  he  found  out 
that  her  mother-in-law,  the  old  Princess  of  Taxis,  was  giving 
herself  the  greatest  trouble  to  convert  the  princess  to  Roman 
Catholicism.  The  Margrave,  therefore,  determined  to  go  him- 
self to  Frankfort,  where  the  family  of  Taxis  lived,  and  put  an 
end  to  this  plan.  Before  doing  so,  however,  he  sent  M.  von 
Fischer  there  to  find  out  how  matters  really  stood.  As  he 
was  journeying  thither,  this  gentleman  received  a  letter  from 
the  princess's  chaplain,  who  informed  him  that  he  had  always 
observed  that  she  had  a  great  leaning  towards  the  Romish 
Church.  The  princess  had,  however,  assured  him,  in  answer 
to  his  representations,  that  she  never  intended  changing  her 
religion.  Lately,  however,  he  had  in  vain  endeavored  to  pre- 
vent her  going  to  Mayence,  and  had  heard  she  had  just  been 
received  into  the  Church  of  Rome  by  the  Elector  of  Mayence.* 
The  town  of  Frankfort  was  so  furious  at  this  proceeding  that 
the  princess  had  been  warned  that,  should  she  endeavor  to  show 
her  face  there,  the  inhabitants  would  murder  the  whole  family 
and  burn  down  their  palace.  On  the  receipt  of  this  letter  M. 
von  Fischer  turned  back,  and  brought  these  unpleasant  tidings 
to  Baireuth.  The  Margrave  was  determined  to  put  a  bold 

*  The  Roman  Catholic  bishop. 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGBAVINE    OF   BAIKEUTH.        289 

face  on  the  whole  matter,  and  gave  a  ball  that  very  evening. 
This  was  not  well  received,  and  my  father-in-law  went  to  Neu- 
stadt,  near  Erlungen,  to  hide  his  annoyance.  But  to  return  to 
Potsdam. 

The  king  was  in  a  dreadful  temper,  from  which  his  poor 
servants  had  much  to  suffer.  I  was  present  at  a  scene  one  day 
which  distressed  me  greatly.  My  father  was  so  furious  with 
one  of  his  valets  that  he  broke  three  sticks  over  his  head,  and 
beat  him  so  terribly  that  the  poor  man  lay  almost  lifeless  on 
the  ground.  The  king  tore  the  poor  wretch's  hair,  kicked  him, 
and  finally  dragged  him  out  of  the  room,  and  ordered  him  to 
be  shut  up.  I  nearly  fainted  with  terror.  People  rushed  to 
the  poor  man's  assistance  and  bound  up  his  wounds.  My  fa- 
ther afterwards  gave  him  his  dismissal,  which  was  the  greatest 
kindness,  it  seemed  to  me,  he  could  show  him. 

My  husband  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  visited  my  brother  at 
Ruppin,  on  his  way  to  Pasewalk.  I  grieve  to  say  that  the 
crown  prince  was  leading  a  most  wild,  disorderly  life.  He  was 
most  anxious  that  my  husband  should  associate  himself  with 
him  in  his  adventures.  The  hereditary  prince,  who  had  a 
horror  of  vice  of  every  kind,  left  Ruppin  at  the  end  of  two 
days.  I  was  anxious  to  impress  the  king  favorably  with  my 
husband's  zeal  for  his  military  duties.  I  therefore  told  my 
father  that  the  prince  presented  his  respects,  and  wished  him 
to  know  that  he  had  rejoined  his  regiment.  "  How !"  said  the 
king,  "  I  thought  he  had  been  with  your  brother  at  Ruppin  ?" 
To  this  remark  I  replied,  "  Yes,  he  was  there;  but  his  impatience 
to  be  with  his  regiment  prevented  his  making  a  longer  stay." 
This  answer  pleased  my  father  greatly,  and  he  said,  "  He  need 
not  have  hurried  so  much,  and  two  days  sooner  or  later  would 
not  have  mattered.  The  two  brothers-in-law  must  become 
more  intimate."  Then  after  a  short  silence  the  king  con- 
tinued, "I  pity  you  very  much,  for  you  are  poor;  but  you  have 
a  husband  who  has  great  qualities,  and  this  must  be  a  comfort 
to  you.  I  have  a  plan  in  my  head  which  will,  I  hope,  be  of 
19 


290         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

service  to  you  both.  There  are  certain  fiefs  (Lehen)  which 
will  soon  fall  in  to  me,  and  which  I  must  bestow  afresh.  Two 
of  these  will  shortly  be  at  my  disposal,  and  I  shall  give  them  to 
your  husband.  The  income  derived  from  them  amounts  to  ten 
thousand  thalers.*  I  will  also  settle  on  him  the  reversion  of 
the  next  commandery  (Commende)  of  the  Order  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem  that  falls  vacant.  The  person  who  is  at  present  in 
possession  of  it  is  so  old  that  he  cannot  live  much  longer." 

I  thanked  the  king  a  thousand  times  for  his  goodness  to  us. 
This  sudden  change  from  evil  to  good  caused  me  to  make 
many  reflections  on  the  changeableness  of  earthly  things. 
Very  soon  after  this  the  fiefs  fell  in,  and  the  king  kept  his 
word  and  settled  them  on  the  hereditary  prince.  My  brother's 
return  added  to  my  satisfaction.  He  was  most  tender  and 
good  to  me,  spoke  with  great  affection  of  my  husband,  and 
gave  me  so  much  money  that  I  was  able  to  pay  off  all  my 
debts,  and  provide  for  the  hereditary  prince's  stay  at  Pasewalk. 

The  king  had  sent  an  official  from  the  finance  department 
to  Baireuth  to  try  and  put  affairs  in  order  there.  On  his  re- 
turn he  laid  the  real  state  of  the  case  before  my  father.  It 
turned  out  afterwards  he  had  himself  not  been  properly  in- 
formed of  the  real  facts.  This  official  told  the  king  that  the 
Margrave  had  approved  of  the  proposed  plan  by  which  all  the 
debts  of  the  principality  of  Baireuth  were  to  be  paid  off  in 
twelve  years.  My  father  at  once  communicated  this  good 
news  to  me.  He  also  sent  the  man  that  had  been  to  Baireuth 
to  sec  me,  in  order  that  he  might  explain  the  whole  business, 
and  that  I  might  then  inform  my  husband  of  it  all. 

I  gradually  became  calmer  as  things  assumed  a  more  favor- 
able aspect.  It  seemed,  nevertheless,  as  if  I  was  doomed  to  be 
slowly  wasted.  I  was  always  ill  and  suffering,  and  as  we  had 
no  doctor  at  Potsdam  my  health  became  gradually  worse. 

Just  at  this  time,  too,  I  received  bad  news  from  Baireuth. 

*  One  thousand  five  hundred  pounds. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF    BAIEEUTII.        291 

Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  wrote  me  word  that  Princess 
Charlotte  had  completely  gone  out  of  her  mind.  The  poor 
princess  had  for  some  time  been  flattering  herself  that  she 
should  marry  the  Prince  of  Usingen,  though  she  had  never 
seen  him.  She  had  now  read  in  the  papers  the  announcement 
of  his  marriage  with  the  Princess  of  Eisenach.  This  news 
had  upset  her  so  much  that  she  had  become  quite  insane,  and 
even  dangerously  violent.  The  Princess  of  Taxis  had  no 
sooner  become  a  Romanist  than,  in  despair  at  the  step  she  had 
taken,  she  had  tried  to  commit  suicide  by  throwing  herself  out 
of  a  window.  Her  mother-in-law  and  her  husband  had  the 
greatest  trouble  in  pacifying  her,  and  her  condition  was  not 
unlike  that  of  Princess  Charlotte.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld 
also  told  me  that  my  little  daughter  was  beginning  to  teeth. 
The  Margrave  insisted  on  taking  her  to  Himmelscron  against 
the  doctor's  advice,  but  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  had  suc- 
ceeded in  inducing  him  first  to  write  to  me  on  the  subject. 
My  father-in-law  followed  her  advice.  I  showed  this  letter  to 
the  queen,  asking  her  opinion  on  the  subject.  She  said  she 
did  not  think  it  advisable  that  the  child  should  be  moved  at 
present,  as  during  teething  children  always  required  the  great- 
est care  and  attention.  I  therefore  wrote  a  most  courteous 
letter  to  the  Margrave,  begging  him  to  allow  little  Frederica  to 
remain  at  Baireuth.  I  heard  afterwards  that  my  letter  had 
made  him  very  angry,  and  that  he  had  taken  my  child  to 
Himmelscron  in  spite  of  every  remonstrance.  His  reason  for 
doing  so,  he  said,  was  that  he  intended  showing  that  he  was 
master,  and  could  do  with  the  child  whatever  he  pleased. 
Poor  little  thing!  it  nearly  cost  her  her  life.  She  was  so  ill 
for  some  time  afterwards  that  her  recovery  was  despaired  of. 
Not  satisfied  with  this,  my  father-in-law  must  needs  write  me 
a  most  cruel  letter,  in  which  he  heaped  reproaches  on  me.  I 
showed  this  letter  to  the  queen,  who  was  at  first  extremely 
angry  at  it,  and  said  she  would  herself  write  to  him  on  the 
subject.  She  however  afterwards  thought  it  would  be  wiser 


292        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

to  do  nothing,  and  advised  me  to  treat  ray  father-in-law  cour- 
teously. Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  was  greatly  be- 
loved and  respected  at  Baireuth,  and  had  great  influence  with 
the  Margrave,  effected  a  reconciliation  between  us. 

The  king  and  queen  were  greatly  delighted  at  receiving  the 
news  of  my  sister  of  Anspach's  safe  confinement,  and  the  birth 
of  a  son.  The  joyful  intelligence  was  brought  them  by  the 
chamberlain,  M.  von  Nostiz.  The  king  gave  a  fete  in  honor 
of  the  event.  He  told  M.  von  Nostiz  that  he  had  a  wife  ready 
for  the  little  prince  in  my  daughter.  I  thought  there  was  still 
plenty  of  time  before  us  to  think  about  that. 

Prince  Charles  of  Bevern  reached  Berlin  that  same  evening, 
on  his  return  from  Holland.  I  was  delighted  to  see  him,  and 
to  have  news  of  my  husband.  My  brother  also  arrived,  and 
overwhelmed  me  with  affection.  I  spoke  with  him  about  my 
present  position,  and  he  advised  me  to  be  patient.  There 
would  co*me  a  time,  he  said,  when  he  should  be  able  to  make 
up  for  all  the  sufferings  I  had  had  to  endure.  "I  shall  not 
only  never  require  a  shilling  paid  back  of  the  loan  made  you 
by  the  king,"  my  brother  said,  "  but  I  will  also  give  you,  if 
your  father-in-law  is  still  living,  a  pension  of  forty  thousand 
thalers  (£6000),  and  shall  not  consent  to  our  being  separated 
any  more.  I  give  you  my  word  of  honor  about  it,  and  if  you 
wish  it  I  will  give  it  yon  in  writing,  and  have  it  signed  and 
scaled."  I  assured  him  that  his  word,  his  love,  and  his  friend- 
ship were  far  more  precious  to  me  than  any  worldly  advantages 
he  could  promise  me.  I  forgot  all  my  sorrows  as  long  as  I 
had  my  beloved  brother  with  me. 

The  king  and  queen  seemed  bent  on  finding  some  fresh 
manner  in  which  to  torment  me.  They  always  treated  me 
like  some  poor  beggar  in  want  of  bread.  Remarks  of  this 
nature  were  constantly  made  at  the  dinner-table.  It  was  most 
painful  to  me,  as  these  cruel  speeches  were  made  in  the  pres- 
ence of  M.  von  Nostiz.  The  king  even  went  so  far  as  to  abuse 
my  husband,  calling  him  a  fool  and  a  blockhead.  If  I  en- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BATREUTH.         293 

deavorcd  to  reply,  my  father  looked  at  me  in  so  furious  a  man- 
ner that  the  words  died  on  my  lips. 

I  meanwhile  received  news  from  Baircuth  of  the  Margrave's 
illness.  He  was  failing  fast,  and  was  anxious  for  our  return. 
I  had  written  to  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  how  painful  rny 
position  at  Berlin  was.  She  now  wrote  and  advised  me  to  re- 
turn to  Baireuth,  and  take  advantage  of  my  father-in-law's 
kindly  feelings  towards  us.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  also 
told  me  that  Princess  Charlotte's  condition  had  greatly  im- 
proved, and  that  her  fits  of  madness  returned  only  at  rare  in- 
tervals. I  begged  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  to  do  her 
utmost  to  further  our  return  to  Baireuth.  I  mentioned,  how- 
ever, that  at  present  nothing  could  be  said  to  the  king  about 
it.  He  would  certainly  not  let  us  take  our  departure  till  the 
inspection  of  the  hereditary  prince's  regiment  had  taken  place. 
It  would  also  be  impossible  for  me  to  leave  before  the  arrival 
of  the  Princess  of  Brunswick.  My  brother  had  asked  me  to 
take  her  under  my  protection  and  do  what  I  could  for  her,  and 
I  had  promised  him  to  do  so.  I  therefore  urged  Mademoiselle 
von  Sonnsfeld  to  try  and  arrange  matters  in  such  a  manner 
that  unless  the  Margrave  grew  much  worse,  we  might  return  in 
the  month  of  August. 

The  hereditary  prince  wrote  to  me  every  mail -day.  He 
gave  himself  endless  trouble  to  bring  his  regiment  to  a  state 
of  efficiency.  lie  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  heard  from  the 
king,  and  that  his  letter  contained  nothing  but  abuse  and  re- 
proaches. This  treatment  hurt  him  doubly,  as  he  did  not  in 
the  least  deserve  it.  He  was  extremely  fond  of  his  profession, 
and  devoted  himself  seriously  to  the  performance  of  his  duties. 
My  father  continued  to  torment  me,  and  I  could  not  in  the 
least  make  out  why.  I  afterwards  found  that  his  conduct  had 
been  caused  by  the  gossip  of  some  officers.  The  hereditary 
prince  was  devoted  to  music,  and  himself  played  the  flute  very 
well.  lie  had  induced  a  violinist  to  come  to  Pasevvalk  and  ac- 
company him  when  he  played.  The  king  considered  music  a 


294        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

capital  offence,  and  maintained  that  every  one  should  devote 
himself  to  one  sole  object :  men  to  the  military  service,  and 
women  to  their  household  duties.  Science  and  the  arts  he 
counted  among  the  "  seven  deadly  sins."  I  told  my  husband  of 
this  peculiarity  of  my  father's,  and  begged  him  therefore  to  leave 
his  music  alone  for  the  short  time  he  was  still  at  Pasewallc.  I 
was  anxious  we  should  part  from  the  king  on  the  best  of 
terms,  for  on  our  return  to  Baireuth  we  should  need  his  support 
more  than  ever.  My  husband  followed  my  advice  and  dis- 
missed the  violinist.  No  sooner  had  he  done  so  than  my  fa- 
ther sang  the  hereditary  prince's  praises  and  was  most  kind  to 
me.  The  queen,  on  the  other  hand,  ill-treated  me  cruelly.  I 
have  always  said  how  dearly  I  loved  my  younger  sisters.  They 
were  charming  children,  and  although  they  were  still  very 
young  they  tried  in  every  way  in  their  power  to  be  of  use  to 
me.  They  always  warned  me  when  my  sister  Charlotte  had 
set  the  queen  against  me.  My  mother  even  spoiled  the  pleas- 
ure I  had  in  talking  to  them,  and  forbade  them  to  have  any 
intercourse  with  me,  threatening  them  with  severe  punishment 
if  they  disobeyed  her.  The  queen  told  them  I  was  the  one 
black  sheep  in  the  family,  and  that  they  could  learn  nothing 
but  evil  from  me.  As  soon  as  I  entered  the  queen's  room 
they  ran  away,  looking  at  me  with  tears  in  their  eyes.  My 
mother  made  her  servants  believe  the  same,  so  that  none  of 
them  dared  even  open  the  door  for  me  when  they  saw  me  ap- 
proaching. 

I  had  determined  to  leave  Potsdam  at  once,  and  to  complain 
to  the  king  of  the  treatment  I  was  subject  to.  Madame  von 
Konnken,  however,  dissuaded  me  from  such  a  step.  I  then 
proposed  asking  my  mother  for  an  explanation  of  her  cruel 
conduct ;  but  Madame  von  Konnken  again  very  wisely  prevented 
my  doing  so.  She  told  me  I  should  gain  nothing  by  it.  The 
nearer  my  brother  and  sister's  weddings  drew,  the  more  fu- 
rious my  mother  grew  with  me.  She  said  to  Madame  von 
Konnken  that  I  was  the  cause  of  all  her  troubles  and  annoy- 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         295 

ances.  If  I  had  not  married  tlie  hereditary  prince,  my  brother 
and  sister's  double  marriage  would  never  have  been  arranged. 
She  could  not  look  at  me,  the  queen  said,  without  angry  feel- 
ings. Madame  von  Konnken  told  the  queen  that  this  was 
most  unchristian  behavior ;  that  it  was  our  duty  to  submit  to 
the  decrees  of  Providence,  and  that  marriages  were  made  in 
heaven.  The  queen  replied  that  she  was  well  aware  that  her 
besetting  sins  were  revengeful  feelings,  and  the  impossibility 
of  forgiving  or  forgetting.  However,  the  wise  representations 
made  by  Madame  von  Konnken  bore  fruit,  and  I  determined  to 
bear  my  fate  with  patience. 

My  life  was  one  long  chain  of  sorrow  and  trouble.  But  I 
must  now  give  a  few  anecdotes,  in  order  that  this  narrative 
may  not  become  wearisome  from  the  perpetual  vein  of  sadness 
which  runs  through  it. 

About  this  time  the  Prince  of  Anhalt-Bernburg  came  to 
Potsdam  to  present  his  respects  to  the  king.  My  father,  who 
was  very  fond  of  teasing  people,  and  besides  liked  arranging 
marriages,  took  it  into  his  head  to  marry  his  niece,  the  Prin- 
cess Albertine  (his  sister's  daughter),  to  this  prince,  who  how- 
ever knew  nothing  of  this  plan.  He  was  very  short,  with  a 
face  resembling  a  full  moon,  and  very  high  shoulders.  I  never 
saw  any  one  much  uglier  or  stupider  than  this  prince.  He 
stuttered,  and  could  not  say  a  word  without  making  a  gurgling 
noise  like  a  child.  In  spite  of  all  my  sorrow,  I  could  not  help 
laughing  when  I  first  saw  this  wonderful  little  personage.  He 
was  truly  ridiculous.  His  destined  bride  was  as  ugly,  as  stu- 
pid, and  as  disagreeable  as  he  was.  The  king  at  once  brought 
the  prince  on  his  arrival  to  see  the  queen.  At  dinner  he  said 
to  him, "  Listen  to  me,  prince — I  am  going  to  marry  you.  I 
know  of  just  the  wife  for  you — one  who  will  make  you  happy. 
You  must  marry  my  niece.  She  is  the  best  creature  possible, 
full  of  good  qualities,  but  as  ugly  as  a  thousand  devils.  You 
must  look  at  her  only  in  the  dark.  But  that  does  not  matter 
much,  does  it,  prince  ?"  The  poor  man  was  at  a  loss  what  to 


296        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

answer,  and  could  not  make  up  his  mind  whether  to  say  "yes" 
or  "  no."  I  will  drive  to  Berlin  with  you  this  afternoon,"  the 
king  continued,  "  and  we  will  dine  with  my  good  sister,  and 
then  you  can  propose  to  her  daughter."  The  poor  prince  was 
much  perplexed,  but  after  a  few  moments'  reflection  felt  great- 
ly honored  at  marrying  the  king's  niece:  he  therefore  answered, 
amid  stutters  and  hesitations,  that  he  would  be  proud  to  ac- 
company him  to  Berlin. 

The  news  I  received  from  Baireuth  was  very  satisfactory. 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  wrote  that  the  Margrave's  condi- 
tion grew  visibly  worse.  He  had  gone  to  Neustadt  to  visit  his 
wretched  brother,  of  whom  I  have  made  mention  before,  and 
who  had  meanwhile  married  a  Princess  of  Anhalt-Schaumburg. 
My  father-in-law  spent  enormous  sums  of  money  during  his 
stay  at  Neustadt,  and  passed  his  days  in  playing  at  cards  and 
amusing  himself.  One  day  in  going  down-stairs  he  had  a  very 
bad  fall,  and  was  carried  almost  lifeless  to  his  room.  I  never 
knew  whether  he  had  injured  himself  internally.  The  doctors 
that  attended  him  were  so  ignorant  that  their  accounts  could 
not  be  believed.  Whether  caused  by  his  fall  or  by  his  habits 
of  intemperance  I  cannot  tell,  but  the  Margrave  was  seized  with 
violent  hemorrhage,  and  his  recovery  was  despaired  of.  His 
chaplain  had  been  sent  for  to  prepare  him  for  his  approaching 
end.  His  good  constitution,  however,  saved  him  this  time,  and 
lie  recovered  slowly. 

Every  one  at  Baireuth,  since  my  father-in-law's  accident,  had 
been  clamoring  for  our  return.  He  wished  it  himself,  and 
wrote  to  me  asking  me  to  advise  him  in  what  way  he  could 
bring  it  about.  I  showed  several  people  this  letter,  knowing 
that  they  would  make  its  contents  known  to  the  king,  and  I 
also  for  the  same  reason  gave  them  full  particulars  of  my  fa- 
ther-in-law's fall.  The  king  did  not  wish  to  lose  us,  but  at  the 
same  time  did  not  wish  to  treat  us  properly.  Yet  to  prevent 
our  departure  he  tried  to  do  everything  to  win  us  over  to  his 
side.  lie  fondled  IIH-,  and  was  loud  in  my  husband's  praises. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    RAIREUTIT.         297 

All  this  touched  me  but  little ;  I  had  been  too  often  deceived 
to  have  much  faith  in  outward  appearances. 

The  king  was  indisposed,  and  his  face  much  altered  and 
swollen.  One  afternoon  he  was  seized  with  a  bad  attack  of 
suffocation  and  breathlessness.  We  were  all  sitting  round  him, 
and  did  not  at  first  observe  it,  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of  snor- 
ing loudly.  I  was  the  first  to  notice  his  face  being  quite  black 
and  swollen.  I  at  once  told  the  queen,  who  tried  in  vain  to 
rouse  my  father.  We  called  for  assistance,  cut  open  his  collar, 
and  poured  water  over  his  face,  after  which  he  gradually  re- 
gained consciousness.  This  attack  frightened  the  king  very 
much ;  but  the  doctors,  to  please  him,  treated  it  very  lightly. 
They  knew,  however,  that  these  had  been  very  grave  symptoms, 
probably  caused  by  suppressed  gout. 

The  spring,  that  beautiful  season  when  all  nature  seems 
awakened  to  new  life  and  being,  was  to  me  a  time  of  renewed 
persecution.  We  were  obliged  to  go  every  evening  into  the 
king's  garden.  The  king  called  this  garden  "  Marly,"  but  I 
never  knew  why.  It  was  a  fine  large  kitchen-garden,  in  which 
my  father  had  planted  varieties  of  rare  European  fruits.  It 
was  no  pleasure  to  walk  there,  as  there  was  no  shade  of  any 
kind.  We  had  to  do  so  every  afternoon  at  one  o'clock.  At 
eight  o'clock  we  had  a  moderately  good  supper  served  in  the 
garden,  and  at  nine  we  all  returned  home.  The  king  rose  ev- 
ery morning  at  four  o'clock,  to  be  present  when  his  regiment 
paraded,  which  took  place  under  his  windows.  I  lived  on  the 
ground-floor,  and  could  not  sleep  all  night  on  account  of  the 
firing  that  went  on.  One  of  the  soldiers,  who  was  anxious  to 
load  too  fast,  fired  his  gun  before  he  had  time  to  pull  out  the 
ramrod,  which  went  through  the  window  into  my  room. 

I  endured  all  these  fatigues  with  patience.  My  husband's 
return  was  such  intense  joy  to  rne  that  I  forgot  everything 
else.  He  arrived  at  Potsdam  with  my  brother  on  the  20th  of 
May.  To  my  great  satisfaction  I  found  the  hereditary  prince 
looking  decidedly  better  than  when  he  had  left  inc.  His  cough, 


298        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

however,  although  not  so  troublesome,  still  continued.  The 
king  received  him  kindly,  and  was  much  pleased  with  the  re- 
port he  brought  him  of  the  efficiency  of  his  regiment.  The 
Margravine  Albertine  and  her  daughter,  together  with  the 
Prince  of  Bernburg,  arrived  that  afternoon.  The  wedding  of 
the  Prince  of  Bernburg  with  the  Margravine's  daughter  was  to 
take  place  next  day.  The  young  princess  was  radiant  with 
happiness,  and  did  nothing  but  laugh  whenever  her  bridegroom 
was  mentioned.  Her  two  ladies  joined  in  her  laughter.  The 
prince  himself  gave  the  signal  by  a  loud  outburst,  which  the 
two  ladies  echoed.  It  was  so  ridiculous  that  we  too  were 
obliged  to  laugh.  The  king  teased  his  niece  very  much,  but 
was  only  answered  by  shouts  of  laughter,  which  displeased  him 
greatly.  We  did  everything  in  our  power  to  induce  Princess 
Albertine  to  be  more  serious,  but  it  was  all  in  vain.  Her  joy 
at  the  near  prospect  of  her  marriage  was  too  much  for  her. 
The  hereditary  prince  and  Prince  Charles  of  Bevern  had  been 
invited  by  the  king  to  be  present  at  the  wedding.  They  visit- 
ed the  bridegroom  next  day — more,  I  fear,  for  the  purpose  of 
amusing  themselves  at  his  expense  than  to  show  him  civility. 
It  seemed  that  everybody  except  this  unfortunate  prince  knew 
the  wedding  was  to  be  solemnized  that  evening.  He  was  so 
confused  and  absent  that  he  had  forgotten  all  about  it.  He 
swore  like  a  trooper,  and  declared  he  had  no  proper  clothes, 
and  that  the  ceremony  must  be  postponed  till  next  day.  The 
king  was  greatly  amused  at  this,  and  the  hereditary  prince  was 
obliged  to  lend  him  the  necessary  garments,  for  which  the 
Prince  of  Bernburg  was  so  grateful  that  he  ran  every  moment 
to  him  for  advice  in  other  matters.  I  can  say  with  perfect 
truth  that  I  never  witnessed  anything  so  funny  as  this  wedding. 
There  were  balls  for  three  days  after  it,  which  we  thoroughly 
enjoyed.  These  happy  days  were  not  of  long  duration,  for  my 
husband  was  obliged  to  return  to  his  regiment,  lie  left  me 
again  on  the  27th  of  May,  on  which  day  my  brother  and  all 
the  other  royal  guests  took  their  departure. 


MEMOIRS    OF  THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        299 

The  king  expressed  himself  greatly  pleased  with  the  heredi- 
tary prince,  whom  he  thought  greatly  improved.  "  He  will  be- 
come my  favorite  son-in-law,"  my  father  said,  turning  to  the 
queen ;  "  I  love  my  children  very  dearly,  and  nothing  shall  pre- 
vent my  giving  my  son-in-law  all  the  money  I  have  lent  him,  if 
he  continues  behaving  as  he  docs  now."  I  kissed  the  king's 
hand,  and  thanked  him  in  the  tenderest  accents.  On  his  again 
repeating  to  me  what  he  had  said  to  the  queen,  I  ventured  to 
assure  him  that  we  should  be  greatly  distressed  if  he  thought 
our  conduct  had  been  prompted  by  selfish  motives.  We  need- 
ed his  help  sorely — of  that  there  was  no  doubt — bat  we  did  not 
wish  to  be  in  any  way  a  burden  to  him.  I  would  rather  re- 
fuse to  accept  his  generous  offer  than  feel  I  was  a  trouble  to 
him. 

My  father  turned  to  me  with  a  loving  look,  while  tears  stood 
in  his  eyes,  and  said,  "  No,  my  dear  child,  I  shall  not  allow  you 
to  leave  me ;  and  as  long  as  I  live  you  shall  be  cared  and  pro- 
vided for."  These  words  touched  me  much,  but  at  the  same 
time  made  me  feel  rather  uneasy.  Knowing  how  changeable 
the  king  was,  I  could  not  put  much  reliance  on  his  promises; 
yet  they  could  not  leave  me  unmoved,  I  loved  him  so  dearly, 
and  had  it  not  been  for  the  queen's  jealousy  I  should  easily 
have  regained  my  old  place  in  his  affections.  It  was  impossi- 
ble to  be  on  good  terms  with  one  of  my  parents  without  offend- 
ing the  other.  My  mother  made  me  suffer  for  my  father's  kind- 
ness, and  scolded  me  all  day.  I  have  never  yet  been  able  to 
discover  who  originated  the  intrigue  which  was  made  against 
the  hereditary  prince  and  myself.  There  is,  however,  no  doubt 
that  some  one  at  this  moment  tried  to  make  as  much  mischief 
us  possible. 

One  day  the  king  said  to  me, "  I  have  thought  of  a  plan 
which  will  enable  you  both  to  remain  here.  I  will  give  your 
husband  an  annuity  which  will  enable  him  to  live  at  Pasewalk 
as  his  position  demands.  You  can  then  visit  him  there  from 
time  to  time,  for  if  you  remain  there  entirely  he  would  neglect 


300        MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BA1REUTH. 

his  regiment."  That  this  plan  did  not  particularly  please  it  is 
needless  to  say,  yet  I  did  not  like  to  contradict  the  king  direct- 
ly. I  therefore  merely  replied  that  I  should  always  encourage 
my  husband  in  the  performance  of  his  duties.  My  father  ob- 
served that  his  intentions  did  not  quite  agree  with  my  views,  so 
he  turned  the  conversation.  As  the  king  and  queen  were  leav- 
ing on  the  8th  of  June  for  Brunswick,  in  order  to  attend  my 
brother's  wedding,  I  asked  for  leave  to  visit  my  husband  at  Pase- 
walk. .  At  first  my  father  consented  to  my  request,  but  on  sec- 
ond thoughts  said  it  was  scarcely  worth  while  for  me  to  under- 
take the  journey,  as  he  should  be  back  in  a  week,  and  would  on 
his  return  send  for  the  hereditary  prince.  This  answer  vexed 
me  extremely.  I  had  a  horror  of  Berlin,  and  feared  I  should 
there  be  exposed  to  fresh  annoyances.  As  it  was,  my  mother 
had  forbidden  my  sisters  or  her  ladies  to  go  near  me.  All  this 
and  other  vexations  had  upset  me  so  much  that  I  had  to  go  to 
bed,  where  I  at  once  fell  asleep,  as  much  from  weakness  as  from 
fatigue.  I  had  scarcely  slept  three  hours  when  a  great  noise  in 
my  antechamber  woke  me.  I  started  up  in  alarm,  drew  back 
the  bed-curtains,  and  called  my  maid  Mermann.  This  faithful 
servant  never  left  me,  and  shared  my  sorrows  and  joys  with  me- 
I  called  in  vain ;  no  one  came  to  my  assistance,  and  the  noise 
continued.  My  horror  is  easily  to  be  imagined  when  I  mention 
that  I  suddenly  saw,  by  the  dim  light  of  my  night-light,  a  dozen 
tall  grenadiers  with  fixed  bayonets  enter  my  room.  I  thought 
I  was  lost  indeed,  and  that  I  was  to  be  arrested.  In  vain  I 
racked  my  brain  as  to  what  possible  crime  I  was  guilty  of. 
My  maid  now  rushed  into  my  room,  and  pacified  me  by  telling 
me  that  she  had  not  been  able  to  get  to  me  sooner,  as  she  had 
tried  to  prevent  the  soldiers  entering  my  room.  The  Castle 
was  on  fire,  she  said,  and  this  was  the  cause  of  all  the  tumult. 
I  asked  where  the  fire  was.  My  maid  was  reluctant  to  answer 
at  first,  but  ended  in  saying  that  my  sisters'  rooms  were  burn- 
ing, but  that  their  servants  would  let  no  one  in,  as  they  declared 
tlie  fire  was  in  my  apartments.  My  governess  now  came  to  me 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIKEUTIf.        301 

in  great  alarm.  She  managed  to  prevent  the  officers  coming 
farther  into  the  room,  and  so  enabled  me  to  get  up.  There- 
upon my  room  was  thoroughly  searched,  and  not  a  trace  of  fire 
was  to  be  found  anywhere.  The  soldiers  now  proceeded  to  my 
sisters'  rooms,  where,  everything  was  found  in  flames,  the  beds 
destroyed,  and  the  wood-work  nearly  so.  The  fire  was  at  length 
put  out,  after  much  trouble.  The  king  was  at  once  informed 
of  what  had  occurred.  My  father  was  very  severe  in  such  mat- 
ters, and  always  dismissed  the  servants,  whether  they  were 
guilty  or  innocent. 

Whatever  should  I  have  done  had  the  fire  taken  place  in  my 
rooms?  The  king  was  at  first  told  it  was  where  I  lived  that 
the  accident  had  happened,  and  flew  into  a  great  passion  about 
it.  Hearing,  however,  that  this  was  not  the  case,  he  grew  calm 
again.  My  sisters  were  in  great  distress,  and  came  crying  to 
me  to  know  whatever  they  were  to  do. 

I  offered  Charlotte  to  share  my  bed,  while  the  two  others 
slept  in  the  hereditary  prince's.  Mademoiselle  de  Montbail 
was  obliged  to  sleep  on  the  sofa,  at  which  she  grumbled  a  good 
deal.  My  sister  soon  fell  asleep ;  but  as  she  was  accustomed 
to  have  the  bed  to  herself,  she  pushed  me  constantly  and  woke 
me  up.  We  laughed  much  over  it — the  more  so  as  my  two 
younger  sisters  could  not  sleep  either.  We  therefore  decided 
to  call  our  maids,  and  get  up  and  have  breakfast.  Mademoiselle 
de  Montbail  now  appeared,  clad  like  a  rising  sun,  in  brightest 
yellow,  and  full  of  complaints  against  us.  She  said  she  had 
never  slept,  and  that  the  sofa  had  been  so  hard  that  her  bones 
ached  in  consequence.  I  am  afraid  the  little  humiliation  this 
dear  lady  had  been  obliged  to  endure  afforded  me  great  secret 
pleasure.  Mademoiselle  de  Montbail  was  always  the  one  to 
rouse  the  queen  and  Princess  Charlotte's  anger  against  me. 
It  was  only  after  much  earnest  entreaty  that  Mademoiselle  de 
Montbail  obtained  from  the  king  a  free  pardon  for  her  servants. 
My  father  said  I  was  most  good-natured  to  have  helped  my 
sisters  as  I  had. 


302        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

The  king  was  to  start  next  day,  and  the  queen  was  to  accom- 
pany him.  My  mother  was  terribly  dejected,  and  looked  ill 
and  altered.  It  was,  however,  impossible  to  pity  her.  She  was 
as  passionate  as  the  king,  and  no  one,  not  even  my  sister  Char- 
lotte, could  get  on  with  her.  My  brother  arrived  in  the  even- 
ing. When  alone  with  me  he  was  as  merry  as  possible,  but 
before  others  he  affected  to  be  miserably  unhappy.  Next  day 
we  all  separated,  and  I  returned  with  my  sisters  to  Berlin. 

My  father  had,  much  to  our  disgust,  desired  us  to  visit  the 
theatre  every  evening.  The  Princesses  of  the  Blood,  with  whom 
I  was  on  very  good  terms,  joined  me  there.  They  did  so  as  a 
mark  of  civility  towards  me.  We  conversed  the  whole  time 
together,  paying  no  attention  to  the  play,  which  was  very  sec- 
ond rate.  The  Margravine  Philip  invited  me  several  times  to 
dinner,  and  I  enjoyed  myself  there  extremely.  The  Margravine 
always  invited  some  clever,  agreeable  people  to  meet  me,  and 
the  evenings  were  spent  most  pleasantly.  I  endeavored  as 
much  as  possible  to  avoid  coming  in  contact  with  those  people 
who  annoyed  me,  and  I  consequently  spent  a  quiet  time  at 
Berlin. 

Sastot,  the  queen's  chamberlain,  often  came  to  see  me. 
Although  a  very  intimate  friend  of  Grumkow's,  he  was  an  hon- 
est man  and  devoted  to  me.  He  was  very  clever,  but  lacked 
common-sense.  I  confided  all  my  difficulties  to  him,  and  told 
him  that  I  was  determined  at  all  hazards  to  return  to  Baireuth 
as  soon  as  my  husband's  regiment  had  been  inspected.  Sastot 
answered  that  Grumkow  had  asked  him  to  tell  me  he  had  re- 
ceived a  letter  from  the  hereditary  prince  containing  the  very 
same  suggestion.  It  even  seemed  to  him  as  if  my  husband 
were  not  disinclined  to  leave  the  regiment  altogether.  Grum- 
kow had  told  the  king  this,  and  represented  to  him  at  the  same 
time  how  much  dissatisfied  we  were  with  the  manner  in  which 
we  were  treated. 

The  king  feigned  the  greatest  astonishment  at  this,  and  an- 
swered that  he  could  not  let  us  leave.  I  will  give  my  sou-in- 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF  BAIREUTH.        303 

law  twenty  thousand  thalers*  as  his  pay,  on  condition  that  he 
remains  with  his  regiment.  My  daughter  must  stay  with  her 
mother,  and  can  see  her  husband  from  time  to  time."  Grum- 
kow,  who  was  well  aware  of  our  intentions,  had  made  no  reply 
to  this  remark  of  the  king's,  but  now  begged  me  to  let  him 
know  what  he  was  to  do.  I  begged  Sastot  to  tell  Grumkow, 
with  my  kind  greeting,  that  I  implored  him  to  arrange  matters 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  enable  us  to  return  to  Baireutli.  My 
health  was  destroyed,  I  said,  and  I  was  overwhelmed  by  trou- 
bles and  difficulties.  I  would  not  continue  to  live  separated 
from  the  hereditary  prince,  and  no  one  could  expect  us  to  bury 
ourselves  alive  in  some  small  garrison  town.  The  Margrave  of 
Baircuth's  health  was  failing  rapidly,  and  our  presence  at 
Baireuth  was  absolutely  necessary. 

Next  day  Sastot  brought  me  Grurakow's  answer:  he  would 
do  all  that  lay  in  his  power  to  urge  our  departure  on  the  king. 
It  would,  however,  be  necessary  that  the  Margrave  should  also 
take  steps  in  that  direction.  The  king  must  first  be  told  about 
the  Margrave's  illness.  Grumkow  informed  me  at  the  same 
time  that  the  Principality  of  Cleves  had  petitioned  the  king  to 
make  me  Regent  there,  and  had  offered  to  provide  entirely  for 
my  maintenance.  The  king  had  declined  the  request,  accom- 
panying his  refusal  with  a  reprimand,  saying  that  he  hoped  he 
might  never  have  a  repetition  of  the  request.  I  was  very  sorry 
these  good  people  should  suffer  on  my  account.  I  had  not  the 
faintest  idea  of  the  step  that  had  been  taken  or  I  would  have 
endeavored  to  prevent  it. 

I  was  most  anxious  for  news  from  Brunswick  and  details  of 
the  wedding.  My  brother  kindly  sent  me  M.  von  Kaiserling,  a 
great  favorite  of  his,  to  tell  me  all  about  it.  He  told  me  rny 
brother  was  quite  pleased  with  his  bride,  and  that  he  had  played 
his  part  on  the  wedding-day  (the  12th  of  June)  extremclv  well. 
He  had  made  every  one  believe  he  was  in  the  worst  possible 

*  Four  thousand  pounds. 


304        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

temper,  and  had  scolded  his  servants  in  violent  tones  before 
the  king.  The  Icing  had  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  had  seemed  very  thoughtful.  The  queen  was  de- 
lighted with  the  Brunswick  Court,  but  could  not  bear  the 
crown  princess.  My  mother  had  treated  the  two  duchesses 
"like  dogs" — so  much  so  that  the  reigning  duchess  had  with 
great  trouble  been  prevented  from  complaining  to  the  king 
about  it.  That  evening  I  received  a  letter  from  the  king  in 
his  own  handwriting.  He  wrote  very  kindly,  and  desired  my 
sisters  and  me  to  go  to  Potsdam,  where  I  should  soon  see  my 
husband.  This  prospect  made  me  very  happy,  and  I  left  in 
good  spirits  for  Potsdam. 

The  king  arrived  there  before  the  queen.  He  was  most 
gracious  and  affectionate  to  me.  He  told  me  he  was  charmed 
with  his  daughter-in-law,  and  hoped  I  should  be  great  friends 
with  her.  She  was  "a  good  child,"  he  said,  "  but  requires 
educating.  I  am  afraid  you  will  be  badly  lodged.  I  cannot 
help  it,  and  can  give  you  only  two  rooms.  You  must  see  how 
you,  your  husband,  and  sister,  and  your  suite  can  manage." 
The  queen  arrived  as  we  were  in  the  midst  of  this  conversa- 
tion. She  received  me  kindly ;  then  turning  to  my  sister,  whom 
she  embraced,  said,  "You  will  be  very  happy,  dear  Lottie;  you 
will  have  a  brilliant  court,  and  every  amusement  you  can  wish 
for."  My  mother  then  told  me  my  brother  could  not  bear  his 
wife,  and  that  she  was  his  wife  in  name  alone.  In  spite  of  all 
the  trouble  that  had  been  taken  with  her,  she  was  more  stupid 
than  ever.  "  She  will  please  you  on  first  acquaintance,  because 
she  has  a  lovely  face ;  but  you  are  not  able  to  look  at  her  longer 
than  a  moment."  Then  my  mother  made  fun  of  the  two 
rooms  in  which  we  were  all  to  be  lodged.  My  sister  replied 
it  was  all  very  well  for  the  king  to  say  that  we  must  manage 
with  those  two,  but  that  it  was  an  impossibility  ;  and  I  myself 
really  think  nobody  but  my  father  would  have  thought  of  such 
a  plan.  The  rooms  that  were  apportioned  us  had  no  exit,  and 
one  of  them  was  a  little  boudoir,  or  antechamber.  My  sister 


MfcMOlliS    OF    TUE    MARUKA.VINE    OF    BAIKEUTU.         305 

and  I  now  endeavored  to  arrange  things  as  best  we  could.  We 
gave  up  the  little  room  to  our  two  maids,  and  with  the  help  of 
a  great  many  screens  I  converted  the  other  room  into  a  habita- 
tion for  six  persons.  My  governess,  who  had  been  ailing  for 
some  time,  was  now  attacked  with  a  bad  sore  throat,  accom- 
panied with  high  fever.  Her  condition  made  me  very  anxious 
—the  more  so  as  I  had  no  one  with  me. 

I  expected  the  hereditary  prince  the  next  day  but  one.  The 
crown  princess,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Brunswick,  as  also 
the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Bevern  and  their  son,  Prince  Charles, 
were  expected  on  the  22d  of  June.  The  queen  had  given  me 
a  repulsive  description  of  the  Duchess  of  Brunswick.  She  was 
the  mother  of  the  empress,  and  as  such  claimed  special  marks 
of  attention  and  respect,  to  which  she  had  from  her  personal 
qualifications  no  right.  She  was  intensely  proud,  and  had  in- 
sisted on  having  precedence  over  the  crown  princess.  My 
mother  warned  me  to  be  on  my  guard,  as  otherwise  I  might 
have  endless  trouble  with  the  duchess. 

I  was  in  great  perplexity.  The  king  lived  like  a  simple 
nobleman,  and  would  not  tolerate  ceremony  of  any  kind.  He 
treated  my  sisters  simply  as  daughters  of  the  house,  and  insist- 
ed on  their  receiving  his  guests,  and  also  on  giving  the  "  pas  " 
to  all  foreign  princesses  that  came  to  Berlin.  My  father  hated 
all  disputes  about  rank.  I  knew  this  was  a  very  tender  point 
with  him,  and  that  I  should  have  many  annoyances  in  conse- 
quence. Yet  I  also  knew  that  if  I  once  gave  up  any  rights 
I  possessed  as  a  king's  daughter,  I  should  lose  them  forever. 
After  due  consideration  I  determined  to  speak  with  the  queen 
about  it.  I  did  so,  and  she  promised  me  her  warmest  support. 

My  mother  and  my  brothers  and  sisters  always  wished  the 
king  good-night  every  evening,  and  remained  with  him  till  he 
had  fallen  asleep.  Since  my  marriage  I  had  dispensed  with 
that  ceremony.  As,  however,  the  king  was  generally  in  a  par- 
ticularly good  -  humor  of  an  evening,  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
speak  with  him  then.  As  soon  as  he  saw  me  he  exclaimed, 
30 


306         MEMOIRS    OF   THE  MA11GEAVINK    OF    UAIUEUT11. 

"  Oh,  you  are  also  come  to  see  me !"  I  answered  that  I  had 
just  received  a  letter  from  the  hereditary  prince.  He  present- 
ed his  respects,  and  was  anxious  to  know  if  he  was  to  come  to 
Berlin  or  to  Potsdam.  "I  am  going  to  Berlin  to-morrow;  tell 
him  to  meet  me  there,  and  I  will  bring  him  back  here  with 
me.  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  him,"  he  continued ;  "  he 
has  brought  his  regiment  to  the  highest  state  of  efficiency,  and 
I  am  sure  he  has  worked  day  and  night."  This  beginning  gave 
me  courage,  and  by  degrees  I  turned  the  conversation  on  the 
Brunswick  family.  I  asked  him  what  I  was  to  do  about  the 
duchess,  as  I  knew  she  would  wish  to  take  precedence  of  me. 
I  wished  for  his  advice  in  the  matter,  I  said,  as  I  was  always 
anxious  to  obey  his  orders.  The  king  answered,  "  That  is 
quite  absurd.  She  cannot  do  such  a  thing."  "  Indeed  she 
will,"  the  queen  now  interrupted ;  "  I  had  to  tell  her  plainly 
what  I  thought,  because  she  claimed  to  rank  before  the  crown 
princess."  "  She  is  a  regular  old  fool !"  the  king  exclaimed ; 
"  but  we  must  be  careful,  as  she  is  mother  to  the  empress. 
You  are  not  to  call  on  her,"  my  father  said,  turning  to  me, 
"  till  she  has  first  been  to  see  you,  and  you  are  always  to  go 
before  her."  I  was  very  thankful  to  have  got  so  well  out  of 
this  difficulty,  and  now  left  the  king. 

Next  day  my  joy  was  complete,  for  at  last  my  husband  re- 
joined me.  He  told  me  his  uncle,  the  Prince  of  Culmbach, 
was  soon  to  arrive  at  Berlin.  The  king  had  invited  him ;  I 
was  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  seeing  him,  and  hoped  his  in- 
fluence with  his  brother  would  tend  to  make  our  position  in  a 
less  degree  one  of  slavery. 

The  Court  of  Brunswick  arrived  on  the  24th  of  June.  The 
king  and  my  brother,  with  a  large  suite  of  generals  and  officers, 
went  to  meet  the  crown  princess.  The  queen,  my  sisters  and 
I  received  her  at  the  entrance  to  the  castle.  I  will  describe  her 
now  as  she  was  when  I  first  saw  her,  for  she  has  terribly  altered 
since  then. 

The  princess  was  tall   and  not  very  thin,  arid  held  herself 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        307 

badly,  which  gave  her  a  great  want  of  dignity.  She  had  a 
dazzling  complexion,  pale -blue  eyes,  without  much  mind  in 
them,  a  small  mouth,  and  pretty,'  delicate  features.  She  cer- 
tainly was  lovely,  and  there  was  a  childlike  simplicity  about 
her  such  as  you  would  find  in  a  girl  of  twelve.  Her  teeth, 
which  were  bad,  spoiled  much  of  her  beauty.  The  princess 
had  neither  manners  nor  education.  She  expressed  herself 
badly  and  spoke  with  difficulty,  so  that  you  had  to  guess  what 
she  was  saying. 

As  soon  as  we  had  all  greeted  her,  the  king  led  her  to  the 
queen's  room ;  but  when  he  had  discovered  that  her  hair  was 
unpowdered,  and  that  she  looked  hot  and  tired,  he  told  my 
brother  to  take  her  to  her  own  room. 

My  brother  presented  his  wife  to  me  with  these  words: 
"  This  is  the  sister  whom  I  adore,  to  whom  I  owe  the  deepest 
gratitude.  She  has  promised  me  to  take  you  under  her  pro- 
tection, and  to  help  you  with  her  good  advice.  I  wish  you  to 
show  more  respect  towards  her  than  towards  the  king  and 
queen,  and  to  do  nothing  without  her  approbation.  Do  you 
understand  me  ?"  I  embraced  the  crown  princess,  and  assured 
her  of  my  friendship  and  affection.  She  remained  meanwhile 
stiff  and  cold  as  a  statue,  and  never  answered  a  word.  As  her 
servants  had  not  yet  arrived,  I  powdered  her  hair  afresh,  and 
put  her  dress  in  order  again,  but  she  never  even  thanked  me. 
My  brother  grew  very  angry  at  this,  and  said  to  her,  "  You  lit- 
tle goose,  thank  my  sister  for  her  kindness !"  Very  little  edi- 
fied with  the  princess,  I  led  her  back  to  the  queen. 

Both  the  duchesses  were  with  my  mother.  The  Duchess  of 
Brunswick  must  have  been  fifty  years  old,  but  had  kept  her 
looks  so  wonderfully  that  she  might  easily  have  been  taken  for 
forty.  She  was  very  clever,  and  a  woman  of  the  world,  but 
had  an  unpleasant  manner,  and  it  was  notorious  that  she  was 
by  no  means  a  Lucretia.  Her  present  lover  was  a  M.  von 
Stocker.  It  is  inconceivable  how  a  person  of  such  cleverness 
could  misplace  her  affections  in  such  a  manner.  I  never  saw 


308        MEMO1KS    OF   T1IE    MAEGKAVINE    OF   BA1KEUTH. 

any  one  so  stupid  and  so  insupportable  as  this  said  gentleman. 
The  duke  was  disagreeable,  but  he  possessed  many  good  quali- 
ties. His  wife's  conduet  was  no  secret  to  him  ;  but  he  toler- 
ated it  with  patience,  and  treated  her  with  respect  and  affection. 
His  daughter,  the  Duchess  of  Bevern,  and  I  were  delighted  to 
meet  again.  We  now  sat  down  to  dinner,  which  was  laid  for 
forty  guests.  Afterwards  we  drank  coffee  in  the  queen's  rooms. 
The  crown  princess  never  left  my  side,  but  it  was  impossible 
to  persuade  her  to  say  a  single  word.  The  king  gave  us  all 
presents,  and  we  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  in  playing  cards 
with  my  mother. 

Next  morning  at  six  we  all  went  to  the  inspection  of  the 
king's  regiment,  and  returned  at  noon  in  time  for  dinner.  The 
king  left  in  the  afternoon  for  Berlin,  accompanied  by  my  broth- 
er and  the  hereditary  prince.  The  queen  and  we  princesses 
went  to  Charlottenburg.  The  queen,  the  two  duchesses,  and 
the  old  Duke  of  Brunswick  drove  in  one  carriage,  the  crown 
princess,  my  sister  and  I  in  the  second.  The  heat  was  insup- 
portable, while  the  dust  almost  smothered  us,  and  the  crown 
princess  was  taken  very  unwell  in  consequence. 

We  reached  Charlottenburg  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
The  crown  princess  went  to  bed,  and  we  all  went  to  supper. 
M.  von  Eversmann,  who  had  arranged  all  the  rooms,  had  taken 
such  good  care  of  me  that  I  had  to  cross  the  court-yard  before 
I  could  get  to  the  queen.  I  felt  this  fresh  insult  very  keenly — 
the  more  so  as  the  foreign  ladies  had  all  the  best  rooms  given 
them.  The  queen,  who  had  been  much  kinder  to  me  since 
her  return  from  Brunswick,  now  recommenced  teasing  me. 
She  spoke  most  unkindly  to  me  during  supper,  and  treated  me 
without  the  least  consideration. 

Next  day  the  Duchess  of  Brunswick  called  on  me,  and  made 
endless  excuses  for  not  having  done  so  sooner.  We  all  went  to 
the  queen,  who  told  us  that  there  would  be  only  one  dinner  that 
day,  as  we  must  all  retire  early  to  rest,  to  be  ready  next  day 
for  the  crown  prince's  entry  into  Berlin.  The  queen  had  sent 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BATREUTIT.         309 

for  a  band,  and  we  danced  till  ten  that  evening.  I  had  vainly 
flattered  myself  with  the  hope  that  my  husband  would  suddenly 
appear  and  take  us  by  surprise.  But  the  king  would  not  allow 
it.  He  was  obliged  to  remain  alone  at  Berlin  ;  and  although 
he  was  always  accustomed  to  dine  in  the  evening,  the  king  had 
had  nothing  prepared  for  him.  He  was  not  able  to  get  even 
bread  and  cheese. 

This  ball  was  no  pleasure  to  me.  I  remained  a  sad  specta- 
tor of  it,  as  I  was  too  weak  to  dance.  At  nine  o'clock  the 
queen  took  leave  of  all  her  royal  guests,  and  after  she  had 
reached  her  bedroom  asked  my  sister  and  myself  if  we  should 
like  any  supper.  I  answered  that  I  was  not  hungry,  and  would, 
with  her  permission,  go  to  bed.  Without  replying,  she  turned 
her  back  on  me,  shrugging  her  shoulders.  We  were  to  start 
at  three  next  morning  to  attend  a  review ;  and,  having  to  be  in 
full  dress,  this  did  not  leave  us  much  time  for  sleep.  I  asked 
Madame  von  Konnken  to  obtain  the  queen's  permission  for  me 
to  retire  to  my  room.  She  persuaded  me  to  stay,  as  the  queen 
seemed  to  wish  it.  I  therefore  remained,  and  we  four  sat  down 
to  supper.  The  queen  did  nothing  else  all  the  time  but  abuse 
the  Brunswick  family  and  myself.  There  was  no  word  bad 
enough  for  the  crown  princess  and  her  mother.  My  sister 
supported  her  in  everything  she  said,  and  did  not  even  spare 
Prince  Charles.  The  supper  lasted  till  midnight,  and  its  end 
was  the  crowning  point  of  all.  "  We  have  all  lost  our  heads," 
my  mother  suddenly  exclaimed,  looking  at  me ;  "  we  have  been 
speaking  in  the  presence  of  suspicious  persons,  and  to-morrow 
everybody  will  know  all  we  have  said.  I  know  the  spies  by 
whom  I  am  surrounded,  and  who  have  combined  with  my  ene- 
mies against  me.  I  shall,  however,  find  means  of  recalling 
them  to  a  sense  of  their  duty.  Good-night,  my  dear,"  the 
queen  said,  turning  to  me ;  "  be  ready  at  three  to  -  morrow 
morning,  as  I  have  no  idea  of  being  kept  waiting  by  yon."  I 
silently  left  the  room.  All  I  had  been  forced  to  listen  to  had 
incensed  me  beyond  bearing.  I  had  perfectly  well  understood 


310         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

that  the  queen  had  meant  my  little  person  when  she  spoke  of 
"  spies  and  enemies." 

I  returned  to  my  room,  where  I  poured  out  my  troubles  to 
my  governess  and  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz.  I  cried  bitterly, 
and  wished  I  could  say  I  was  too  ill  to  leave  my  room.  The 
two  ladies,  however,  found  means  of  comforting  me,  and  begged 
me  to  appear  as  usual.  It  grew  late,  and  I  had  only  time  to 
dress  and  reach  the  queen's  rooms  by  three  o'clock.  As  I  was 
;il ways  allowed  free  access  to  them,  I  was  greatly  surprised  at 
Ilamen  stopping  me  at  the  door.  "Good  gracious  me!"  she 
said,  "your  Royal  Highness  is  already  dressed;  the  queen  has 
only  just  woke,  and  has  not  yet  left  her  bed.  She  has  forbid- 
den me  to  let  any  one  in.  I  will  send  you  word  as  soon  as  she 
is  ready."  I  waited  in  the  gallery,  walking  up  and  down  with 
my  ladies.  Soon  after  the  two  duchesses  joined  me  there. 
The  Duchess  of  Bevern  looked  lovingly  at  me,  saying,  "  You 
have  had  some  cause  for  grief,  I  know,  and  have  been  crying." 
"  Yes,  I  have,"  I  answered,  "  and  I  hope  those  who  are  the 
cause  of  it  will  be  satisfied.  Death  will  soon  release  me  from 
my  sufferings ;  for  I  can  scarcely  drag  myself  about,  and  feel 
that  I  have  daily  less  strength.  You  have  influence  with  Seck- 
endorf  and  the  king ;  for  God's  sake  exert  it,  that  I  may  leave 
this  place,  and  die  in  peace  at  Baireuth."  The  Duchess  of 
Bevern  replied  that  she  would  do  her  utmost  to  help  me.  "  Al- 
though you  have  told  me  nothing  of  what  has  occurred,"  she 
continued,  "  I  am  cognizant  of  it  all.  I  will  tell  you  who  told 
me :  it  was  Princess  Charlotte."  I  was  extremely  surprised  at 
what  she  said.  "  This  daughter-in-law  of  ours  will  give  us  a 
good  deal  of  trouble ;  but  my  son  knows  her  thoroughly,  and 
will  keep  her  in  order."  At  this  moment  the  queen,  with  my 
sister  and  the  crown  princess,  joined  us,  and  put  an  end  to  our 
conversation. 

After  having  embraced  the  two  duchesses,  my  mother  turned 
to  me  with  these  words:  "Your  Royal  Highness  has  slept  a 
long  time;  I  think  you  might  have  exerted  yourself  to  get  up 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE  MARGRAVINE  OP  BAIREUTII.      311 

when  I  did."  To  this  speech  I  replied,  "  I  have  been  ready 
dressed  since  three  o'clock,  and  Ramen  knew  it,  and  would  not 
allow  me  to  enter  your  room."  "  She  did  perfectly  right," 
the  queen  continued ;  "  your  proper  place  is  with  the  two 
duchesses  rather  than  with  me."  Having  said  this  she  turned 
away,  and  got  into  the  carriage  with  the  crown  princess.  I 
and  my  sister  drove  in  a  state  coach,  the  two  duchesses  in  an- 
other one,  and  all  the  princes  accompanied  us  on  horseback. 

It  was  an  hour's  drive  to  the  spot  where  all  assembled.  The 
heat  was  unbearable.  Some  tents  had  been  pitched,  each  large 
enough  to  hold  six  persons.  These  were  intended  for  the 
queen,  the  princesses,  and  the  ladies  of  the  Court,  and  those  out 
of  the  town.  More  than  eighty  ladies  followed  us  in  very  hand- 
some carriages.  All  had  done  their  utmost  to  add  to  the  brill- 
iancy of  the  scene.  We  drove  in  this  order  down  the  line. 
Twenty-two  thousand  men  were  assembled  in  battle  -  array. 
The  king  stood  at  the  entrance  to  the  queen's  tent,  and  pushed 
us  all  inside  it.  Some  of  us  had  to  stand  ;  the  others  sat  or  lay 
on  the  ground.  The  sun  poured  through  the  canvas,  and  we 
nearly  succumbed  to  the  heat.  No  refreshment  of  any  kind 
had  been  provided  for  us.  I  lay  down  at  the  back  of  the  tent; 
the  others  stood  in  front  of  me,  and  shaded  me  from  the  rays 
of  the  sun. 

We  remained  in  this  position  from  five  in  the  morning  till 
three  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  resumed  our  carriages.  We 
drove  at  a  footpace,  so  that  we  only  reached  the  Castle  at 
five  o'clock,  without  having  had  even  a  drop  of  water  to  drink 
all  day.  We  immediately  sat  down  to  dinner  with  all  our 
guests.  The  king  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and  was  in  the 
best  possible  spirits.  At  nine  o'clock  we  had  coffee  in  the 
queen's  rooms ;  after  which  we  again  got  into  our  carriages 
and  accompanied  the  crown  princess  to  her  own  palace,  where 
we  stayed  till  eleven,  and  then  returned  home. 

The  queen  had  desired  us  all  to  be  ready  at  eight  next  morn- 
ing, to  accompany  the  king  to  the  ceremony  of  the  consecra- 


312        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

tion  of  St.  Peter's  Church.  I  was  quite  unable  to  be  present 
at  it,  as  I  had  been  dangerously  ill  all  night,  and  was  so  weak 
and  faint  that  I  could  not  stir.  I  sent  the  queen  word  of  my 
condition,  and  begged  her  to  excuse  me.  My  mother  sent  Ra- 
men  to  me  to  tell  me  that  it  was  all  mere  imagination  on  my 
part,  and  that  she  would  listen  to  no  excuses.  I  told  this  wom- 
an to  assure  the  queen  that  I  was  really  very  ill,  and  quite  un- 
fit to  leave  my  bed.  I  said  I  should  let  the  king  know  of  it, 
and  felt  sure  that  he  would  not  be  offended  with  me  if  I  stayed 
in  my  room.  I  also  sent  Mademoiselle  von  Grumkow  to  my 
mother.  She  was  a  very  courageous  girl,  with  a  very  glib 
tongue.  The  queen  was  afraid  of  her  on  account  of  her  uncle, 
and  was  very  careful  what  she  said  before  her. 

As  soon  as  the  queen  saw  this  young  lady  she  said,  "  Good- 
morning,  Grumkow.  It  seems  my  daughter  is  in  one  of  her 
bad  humors,  and  will  not  leave  her  room.  She  wishes  to  give 
herself  airs  in  my  house,  while  I,  who  am  of  more  importance 
than  she  is,  must  be  plagued  and  tormented."  Mademoiselle 
von  Grumkow  replied,  "  Your  Majesty  does  your  daughter 
great  injustice.  Her  Royal  Highness  has  been  suffering  greatly 
for  some  time.  Her  health  is  much  weakened,  and  she  cannot 
stand  any  fatigue.  She  has  been  very  ill  all  night,  and  I  doubt 
whether  she  will  be  able  even  by  to-morrow  to  pay  her  respects 
to  your  Majesty."  "  To-morrow  !"  the  queen  cried,  angrily,  "  I 
think  yon  must  be  dreaming.  In  this  world  people  must  learn 
to  control  themselves.  I  desire  you  to  tell  the  princess  that  T 
command  her  to  leave  her  room."  "  I  crave  your  Majesty's 
pardon,"  Mademoiselle  von  Grumkow  answered,  "but  I  shall 
not  give  this  message.  I  shall  advise  the  hereditary  princess  to 
return  to  Baireuth  as  soon  as  ever  she  can.  There  at  least  she 
can  live  in  quiet  and  comfort,  without  being  exposed  to  the  ill- 
treatment  she  receives  here."  The  queen  was  made  extremely 
uncomfortable  by  this  straightforward  answer,  and  said  nothing 
more.  The  king  had  sent  to  inquire  how  I  was,  begging  me 
to  be  careful  ami  rest,  in  order  to  be  able  to  be  present  at  my 


MEMOIRS    OF   TITE    MARGRAVTXR    OF    RATKEUTII.         313 

sister's  wedding.  When  the  hereditary  prince  came  to  dinner 
my  father  asked  him  kindly  after  me.  Everybody  had  told 
him,  he  said,  that  my  health  had  quite  given  way.  The  Duch- 
ess of  Bcvcrn  corroborated  this  statement,  and  added  that,  if 
energetic  measures  were  not  soon  taken,  she  feared  I  should 
take  my  departure  for  another  world.  The  king  seemed  great- 
ly distressed,  while  the  queen  plainly  showed  her  vexation  that 
she  should  have  been  detected  in  the  wrong.  I  went  out  next 
day,  and  though  my  mother  said  nothing  to  me  she  was  very 
cross.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  theatre. 

The  Prince  of  Cnlmbach,  who  at  once  came  to  see  rne  on 
his  arrival,  was  very  much  dissatisfied  at  his  reception  by  the 
king.  I  did  all  I  could  to  pacify  him.  As  my  father  had  in- 
vited him,  the  prince  had  every  right  to  expect  to  be  courteous- 
ly received.  I  promised  him  to  endeavor  to  put  things  on  a 
plcasantcr  footing,  but  I  had  reckoned  without  my  host.  All 
the  Princes  and  Princesses  of  the  Blood  dined  every  day  with 
the  king  and  queen  without  receiving  any  special  invitation, 
and  next  day  the  Prince  of  Cnlmbach  likewise  appeared  with 
them.  M.  von  Schlippenbach,  who  was  at  the  head  of  the 
king's  household,  came  up  to  the  prince  with  a  very  crest- 
fallen face,  and  told  him  that  the  king  had  not  wished  him 
to  be  invited  to  dinner.  M.  von  Schlippenbach  was  in  de- 
spair, he  said,  but  thought  he  had  best  at  once  tell  him.  The 
Prince  of  Culmbach  was,  naturally,  mortally  offended  by  this 
treatment,  and  at  once  complained  to  my  governess  about  it, 
telling  her  to  inform  me  of  it.  I  was  at  a  loss  how  to  act 
when  I  heard  of  the  occurrence;  for  I  was  much  attached  to 
the  Prince  of  Cnlmbach,  and  any  discourtesy  shown  him  af- 
fected me  equally.  There  was,  however,  no  time  for  lamen- 
tations or  complaints,  and  the  poor  prince  had  to  leave  with- 
out having  dined.  He  went  to  my  rooms  and  waited  there, 
where  I  found  him  afterwards  in  a  great  state  of  anger.  The 
hereditary  prince  was  no  less  so,  and  both  he  and  the  Prince 
of  Culmbach  wished  at  once  to  take  their  departure  from 


314        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTtl. 

Berlin.  I  happily  succeeded  in  dissuading  them  from  such  a 
step,  and  I  promised  that  my  uncle  should  obtain  satisfaction 
for  the  affront.  For  this  purpose  I  sent  for  General  Marwitz, 
who  was  then  at  Berlin,  and  begged  him  to  speak  with  the 
king.  He  was  able  to  remonstrate  so  strongly  with  my  fa- 
ther that  he  came  himself  to  make  his  excuses  to  the  prince 
for  the  "  unfortunate  misunderstanding"  that  had  taken  place. 

The  only  amusement  offered  to  the  foreign  guests  was  that 
of  going  to  the  theatre,  where  we  all  fell  asleep  from  the  ex- 
treme dulness  of  the  performance.  The  Duchess  of  Bevern, 
my  husband,  Prince  Charles,  and  I  always  managed  to  find 
places  where  neither  the  king  nor  queen  could  observe  us,  and 
spent  the  evenings  talking  together.  I  had  always  to  drive 
to  the  theatre  with  the  Duchess  of  Brunswick,  who  would  not 
drive  with  the  queen  in  order  not  to  be  obliged  to  let  the 
crown  princess  take  precedence  of  her.  When  she  drove  with 
me  she  always  managed  to  reach  the  carriage  first,  into  which 
she  scrambled  in  a  great  hurry  to  seat  herself  on  the  right- 
hand  side.  I  am  not  proud,  nor  do  I  care  about  questions  of 
rank,  but  I  do  require  that  the  respect  that  is  due  to  me  be 
shown  me ;  and  if  others  are  inclined  to  tread  on  my  toes,  1 
am  well  able  to  assert  myself.  For  the  first  few  times  I  had 
let  the  duchess  have  her  own  way,  and  did  not  remonstrate 
with  her.  At  last,  however,  I  watched  my  opportunity,  stepped 
in  front  of  her,  and  took  the  right-hand  scat  in  the  carriage. 
She  grew  scarlet  with  rage,  and  had  some  trouble  to  control 
herself,  and  I  believe  she  would  have  scratched  my  eyes  out. 
Her  face  was  swollen  and  disfigured  with  rage.  After  a  few 
moments  she  said  to  me,  "  I  am  not  in  my  right  place,  but 
that  troubles  me  but  little."  "  I  arn  quite  of  your  Serene 
Ilighness's  opinion,"  I  replied  ;  "  I  think  there  is  nothing  more 
absurd  than  claiming  rights  which  do  rfot  belong  to  you,  and 
I  think  still  more  so  not  to  insist  on  those  which  are  yours 
by  right."  Having  said  this  I  seized  hold  of  my  head-dress 
and  held  it  with  both  hands,  fearing  every  moment  that  the 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        315 

duchess  would  tear  it  off.  Happily  we  reached  our  destination 
before  she  could  do  so,  and  she  got  out  of  the  carriage  still 
grumbling. 

When  I  saw  my  mother  I  told  her  the  whole  story,  at  which 
she  was  so  greatly  amused  that  she  forgot  to  scold  me.  Indeed, 
she  highly  approved  of  my  conduct.  She  said  she  hoped  to 
have  an  opportunity  that  evening  of  teasing  the  duchess  about 
her  behavior.  Everybody  hated  the  duchess  on  account  of 
her  inordinate  pride.  She  was  so  fearful  lest  any  of  the  ladies 
that  came  to  see  her  should  sit  down  in  her  presence  that  she 
had  all  the  chairs  removed.  Such  a  thing  was  never  done 
even  by  the  queen,  who  always  allowed  the  ladies  to  sit  down 
in  her  antechamber.  The  ladies  of  the  Court  and  of  the  town 
were  so  offended  by  the  duchess's  behavior  that  none  of  them 
would  go  near  her.  She  made  an  even  more  ridiculous  ex- 
hibition of  herself  on  the  following  occasion : 

We  were  all  at  the  theatre.  The  stage  had  been  erected  in 
the  former  riding-school,  and  there  were  only  two  entrances  to 
it.  That  through  which  we  passed  led  through  the  stables 
into  a  narrow  little  passage,  where  we  were  obliged  to  walk 
in  single  file.  The  king  stood  at  the  door,  so  that  we  all  had 
to  pass  him.  I  always  went  and  sat  down,  as  I  have  before 
mentioned,  in  an  out-of-the-way  corner.  The  play  had  scarce- 
ly begun  when  a  violent  thunder-storm  came  on.  The  light- 
ning was  so  vivid  that  the  stage  seemed  on  fire;  tremendous 
peals  of  thunder  followed,  and  every  one  was  afraid  the  theatre 
would  be  destroyed.  All  at  once  we  heard  fearful  screams, 
and  the  king  was  told  that  the  lightning  had  struck  the  stables. 
My  father,  who  was  next  to  the  door,  at  once  left  the  theatre, 
accompanied  by  the  queen  and  the  crown  princess.  They  had 
no  sooner  left  than  everybody  hurried  to  get  out,  and  there 
was  such  a  crowd  that  neither  the  Duchess  of  Bevern,  Prince 
Charles,  nor  my  husband  and  I  could  get  away.  The  old 
Duchess  of  Brunswick  made  frantic  efforts  to  save  herself.  In 
the  hopes  that  the  people  would  disperse,  we  waited  for  some 


316         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII. 

time;  but  finding  this  was  of  no  use,  and  really  fearing  for 
our  lives,  we  determined  to  make  a  great  effort  to  get  out  of 
the  theatre.  The  hereditary  prince  and  Prince  Charles  made 
way  for  us  with  difficulty.  It  was  pouring  in  torrents.  I  at 
once  got  into  the  carriage  with  the  Duchess  of  Bcvern  and 
my  three  sisters.  The  Duchess  of  Brunswick,  who  had  at 
last  got  out  of  the  theatre  with  the  aid  of  her  dear  M.  von 
Stocken  and  the  two  princes,  followed  us.  As  she  got  into 
her  carriage  with  her  husband,  the  two  princes  followed  her 
into  it,  upon  which  she  had  the  insolence  to  tell  them  they 
could  walk  home.  They  were  still  young,  she  said,  and  the 
rain  would  not  hurt  them.  M.  von  Stocken  must  drive  with 
her.  The  two  princes  never  forgave  her  for  this,  and  turned 
her  into  great  ridicule,  at  which  the  crowd  were  greatly  amused. 
Although  Prince  Charles  was  the  duchess's  grandson,  he  did 
not  spare  her  any  more  than  did  my  husband. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  the  king  had  not  for  some 
time  been  well,  and  that  the  doctors  thought  him  suffering 
from  suppressed  gout.  We  were  therefore  greatly  relieved 
when  he  was  now  seized  with  an  attack  of  gout  in  the  right 
hand.  He  suffered  very  much,  but  we  were  all  thankful  that 
the  disease  had  taken  this  course. 

The  next  day,  the  2d  of  June,  was  fixed  for  my  sister's  wed- 
ding. We  all  went  to  the  king's  rooms  to  be  present  at  the 
ceremony  of  renunciation,  after  which  we  went  to  dinner.  The 
king  had  gone  to  bed,  and  sent  for  my  mother,  my  sister,  and 
myself.  He  told  us  to  sit  down  near  him.  My  sister  was  very 
sad,  for  the  queen  had  confided  to  her  how  terribly  annoyed 
she  was  at  the  destruction  of  all  her  fondest  hopes.  "  Dear 
Charlotte,"  she  said  to  her,  "  my  heart  bleeds  when  I  think  that 
you  are  to  be  sacrificed  to-morrow.  I  have  kept  my  secret  from 
all  the  world,  but  I  had  tried  by  every  means  in  my  power 
and  had  flattered  myself  to  the  last  that  I  should  be  able  to 
bring  about  your  marriage  with  the  Prince  of  Wales.  I  am 
miserable;  my  enemies  have  everywhere  triumphed  over  me. 


MEMOIIiS    OF   TL1E    MARGRAVINE    OF    15AIREUTH.        .317 

You  are  going  to  marry  a  beggar,  and  a  man  without  any  com- 
mon -  sense."  This  conversation  was  repeated  to  me  by  my 
youngest  sister. 

The  queen's  ambitious  views  now  made  my  sister  regret  that 
tilings  had  not  turned  out  as  my  mother  had  wished.  The 
king,  who  was  kept  informed  of  everything  that  passed  in  the 
queen's  room  by  his  spy,  Kamen,  was  well  aware  of  this  con- 
versation. "  What  is  the  matter  with  you,  Lottie  ?"  he  said, 
addressing  my  sister.  "Are  you  unhappy  at  going  to  be  mar- 
ried ?"  "  It  is  but  natural  that  I  should  be  in  a  serious  mood 
on  my  wedding-day,"  she  replied,  "  and  that  I  should  consider 
how  serious  a  step  I  am  taking,  and  make  reflections  on  what 
concerns  my  whole  future  life."  The  king  laughed,  and  an- 
swered, "  Your  lady  mother  has  given  you  matter  for  consid- 
eration. She  ruins  her  children's  happiness  by  the  incessant 
chimeras  she  puts  into  their  heads.  You  can  comfort  yourself 
with  the  assurance  that  you  would  never  have  gone  to  England. 
Nobody  wished  for  you  there,  and  no  step  was  ever  taken  by 
that  Court  in  the  matter.  I  should  have  been  well  satisfied 
had  yon  settled  there,  but  they  would  not  make  their  peace 
with  me.  The  English  Court  takes  every  opportunity  of  an- 
noying me  whenever  they  have  an  occasion.  That  your  mar- 
riage came  to  nothing,"  my  father  continued,  turning  to  me, 
"  was  my  fault,  and  I  have  never  ceased  reproaching  myself 
about  it ;  but  then  I  was  deceived  by  my  ministers.  Will  you 
forgive  me  ?  I  have  given  you  much  cause  for  sorrow,  and 
thuse  who  urged  me  on  have  been  wicked  people.  Had  I  only 
done  what  I  ought,  I  should  have  dismissed  Grumkovv  at  the 
time  of  Ilotham's  mission.  But  I  was  then  like  one  bewitched, 
and  I  am  more  to  be  pitied  than  condemned."  I  replied  that 
I  begged  my  father  would  not  reproach  himself,  as  I  was  quite 
satisfied  with  my  lot.  I  had  a  husband  whom  I  loved  devoted- 
ly, and  as  for  the  rest  I  put  my  trust  in  God. 

My  father  was  much  pleased  with  my  answer,  and  embraced 
me,  saying,  "  You  are  a  brave,  good  woman,  and  God  will  bless 


318         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH. 

you."  We  then  left  the  king  and  went  to  dress.  The  queen 
desired  me  to  be  ready  at  eight  o'clock,  and  join  her  in  the 
large  state-rooms  of  the  Castle. 

When  I  got  there  I  found  every  one  assembled.  I  was  led 
to  a  room  set  apart  for  the  royal  personages.  Here  I  found 
waiting  the  crown  princess,  my  younger  sisters,  and  the  Prin- 
cesses of  the  Blood.  We  were  soon  afterwards  joined  by  the 
two  duchesses,  and  then  the  queen  appeared  with  the  bride. 
Prince  Charles  gave  my  sister  his  hand,  and  led  her  into  the 
room  in  which  the  marriage  service  was  solemnized.  We  all 
followed  according  to  rank.  The  king  sat  opposite  the  altar. 
The  whole  ceremonial  was  exactly  the  same  as  that  which  had 
been  observed  at  my  own  marriage.  At  two  in  the  morning 
we  all  retired  to  our  rooms.  Next  day  was  my  birthday.  All 
the  princes  and  princesses  came  early  in  the  morning  to  offer 
me  their  congratulations.  All  brought  me  presents,  with  the 
exception  of  the  queen.  We  all  afterwards  went  to  see  my 
sister,  and  then  the  king,  whose  attack  of  gout  obliged  him  to 
keep  his  bed.  As  soon  as  my  father  saw  me  he  wished  me 
joy  of  the  day  and  every  blessing,  and  then  desired  the  queen 
to  find  a  present  for  me.  "  She  is  to  choose  it  herself,"  he 
said  ;  "  I  will  pay  for  it,  and  you  must  also  give  her  one."  That 
afternoon  the  queen  sent  for  several  jewellers,  and  told  me  to 
choose  what  I  liked  from  among  their  goods.  Among  the 
things  brought  for  approval  was  a  little  watch  in  jasper  set 
with  brilliants,  which  cost  four  hundred  thalers,*  and  on  this  I 
fixed  my  choice.  My  mother,  having  looked  at  the  watch  for 
some  little  time,  said  to  me  in  a  contemptuous  manner,  "Does 
your  Royal  Highness  imagine  that  the  king  will  give  you  so 
costly  a  present  ?  You  have  not  even  bread  to  cat,  and  you 
wish  for  watches  !  A  small  present  will  do  quite  as  well  for  you." 
Upon  this  she  sent  all  the  things  away,  merely  keeping  a  small 
ring  worth  ten  thalers,f  which  she  gave  me.  My  mother,  how- 

*  Sixty  pounds.  f  Thirty  shillings. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         319 

ever,  told  the  ting  that  all  the  other  articles  had  been  far  too 
expensive,  and  that  she  had  not  liked  to  take  anything.  Her 
behavior  towards  me  wounded  me  far  more  than  the  loss  of 
my  birthday  present.  I,  however,  armed  myself  with  patience. 
The  hope  of  soon  being  home  again  at  Baireuth  helped  me  to 
bear  my  many  mortifications. 

Next  evening  there  was  a  ball.  As  so  many  people  had  been 
invited,  dancing  took  place  in  four  different  rooms,  where  several 
quadrilles  were  arranged.  My  newly  married  sister  led  one  of 
these,  in  which  my  mother,  the  crown  princess,  my  sisters  and 
I  danced.  The  second  quadrille  was  led  by  the  Margravine 
Philip,  the  third  by  the  Princess  of  Zerbst,  and  a  fourth  by 
Madame  von  Brand.  The  ball  began  at  four  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  The  candles  were  all  lighted,  and  the  heat  was  in- 
supportable. Two  more  such  balls  took  place,  at  which  every- 
body nearly  died  of  heat  and  fatigue. 

I  was  very  ill.  The  complaint  I  was  suffering  from  made 
great  progress,  and  I  was  so  weak  that  I  could  scarcely  walk. 
The  hereditary  prince  was  in  great  anxiety  about  me,  and  much 
distressed  at  having  to  leave  me  again.  He  departed  on  the 
9th  of  July  to  rejoin  his  regiment,  the  inspection  of  which  was 
to  take  place  on  the  5th  of  August.  The  weather  was  splen- 
did, and  I  proposed  to  the  crown  princess  that  we  should  go 
out  driving.  The  carriage  in  which  we  drove  was  called  a 
"  Wurst."  There  was  room  in  it  for  twelve  persons,  which  was 
very  convenient,  as  we  had  the  enjoyment  of  the  drive  and  of 
conversation  at  the  same  time.  On  our  return  home  I  dined 
with  the  crown  princess,  and  we  spent  the  evening  most  pleas- 
antly. 

Next  day  we  all  went  out  driving  in  state,  beautifully  dressed. 
We  drove  in  phaetons,  and  the  whole  Court  and  nobility  fol- 
lowed, there  being  in  all  eighty  carriages.  The  king  drove  in 
front  in  a  "Berline,"*  and  soon  fell  asleep.  We  were  over- 

*  A  four-seated  close  carriage. 


320         MEMOIRS    OF   TUB    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIBEUTH. 

taken  by  a  heavy  thunder-storm,  but  continued  the  drive  not- 
withstanding. It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  result,  and  the  state 
to  which  we  were  reduced !  We  were  drenched  to  the  skin, 
and  our  dresses  quite  ruined.  At  last,  after  driving  for  four 
hours  in  the  pouring  rain,  we  got  out  at  Monbijou,  where  a 
ball  and  illuminations  were  to  take  place.  I  never  saw  such 
funny  figures  as  all  the  ladies  looked.  They  were  so  wet  that 
their  dresses  clung  to  them.  None  of  us  could  even  change 
our  things,  but  had  to  remain  in  our  wet  clothes  all  the  rest  of 
the  day.  Next  day  there  was  a  representation  at  the  theatre. 

I  had  written  to  Baireuth  begging  the  Margrave  Jto  arrange 
for  our  return  home.  His  letter,  which  I  awaited  with  great 
impatience,  at  last  reached  me.  It  was  worded  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  I  was  able  to  show  it  to  the  king.  He  had  also  had 
one  from  my  father-in-law,  written  in  much  the  same  strain  as 
mine,  and  I  flattered  myself  that  no  difficulties  would  be  placed 
in  our  way.  When  I  went  to  see  my  mother  I  found  the  king 
and  the  Duchess  of  Bevern  with  her.  "  I  have  received  a  letter 
from  your  father-in-law,"  the  king  said  to  me.  "  He  wishes 
for  your  return  to  Baireuth,  and  will  increase  your  income  by 
8000  thalers.*  This  would  enable  you  and  your  husband  to 
live  at  Erlangen  ;  but  I  think  this  will  be  unnecessary,  as  I  count 
on  your  remaining  here.  What  answer  do  you  wish  me  to  send 
the  Margrave  ?"  I  replied  that  I  should  be  very  glad  to  re- 
main at  Berlin,  but  that  my  father-in-law  was  failing  fast,  and 
I  therefore  thought  it  would  be  right  that  we  should  return  to 
Baireuth,  and  that  the  hereditary  prince  should  become  ac- 
quainted with  his  own  country.  The  king  frowned,  and  then 
answered,  "  You  wish  to  keep  house  yourself."  "  It  will  be  im- 
possible to  do  so  with  only  8000  thalers,"  I  said,  "and  I  could 
not  manage  it  on  less  than  double  that  sum."  "  If  I  can  ob- 
tain.that  amount  for  you,"  the  king  continued,  "  I  will  let  you 
leave ;  if  not,  you  must  remain  here."  The  Duchess  of  Bevern 

*  One  thousand  two  hundred  pounds. 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    HAIREUTU.        321 

now  interrupted  us,  and  taking  part  in  the  conversation  re- 
marked that  I  was  in  such  bad  health  it  would  be  easier  for 
me  to  take  care  of  myself  at  Baireuth  than  at  Berlin.  She 
then  explained  to  my  father  the  nature  of  my  complaint  (the 
doctors  thought  I  had  the  beginning  of  an  internal  tumor),  and 
told  him  I  had  been  recommended  to  take  a  course  of  mineral 
waters.  "  She  can  do  that  at  Charlottenburg,"  my  father  an- 
swered, "  and  if  she  likes  I  will  provide  everything  for  her,  and 
she  will  be  much  more  comfortable  than  at  Baireuth."  Neither 
the  duchess  nor  I  dared  say  anything  more,  and  I  was  in  per- 
fect despair  at  finding  the  moment  of  my  departure  further  ofi 
than  I  had  thought. 

The  duke  and  duchesses  all  left  Berlin  next  day,  and  my  sis- 
ter followed  them  on  the  19th  of  July.  My  leave-taking  from 
my  sister  was  no  melancholy  one ;  but  my  mother,  on  the  other 
hand,  was  greatly  distressed.  The  queen  really  had  a  good 
heart,  but  her  jealousy,  her  suspicion  of  every  one,  and  her  love 
of  intrigue  were  the  cause  of  most  of  her  troubles. 

My  sister  had  no  sooner  left  than  the  queen  became  much 
kinder  in  her  manner  towards  me.  I  tried  everything  in  my 
power  to  win  her  affection,  and  although  I  did  not  entirely  suc- 
ceed, I  at  any  rate  obtained  kind  treatment  at  her  hands.  I 
had  informed  the  Margrave  of  my  conversation  with  the  king, 
and  entreated  him  to  insist  on  our  return,  as  otherwise  we  should 
never  obtain  my  father's  permission  to  quit  Berlin.  The  same 
day  that  my  sister  took  her  departure  the  king  left  for  Pomera- 
nia.  He  was  in  raptures  over  my  husband's  regiment,  and  said 
he  had  never  seen  a  finer  or  better  disciplined  set  of  men.  My 
father  returned  on  the  8th  of  August,  bringing  the  hereditary 
prince  with  him.  I  implored  my  brother's  help  to  get  us  leave 
to  return  to  Baireuth.  He  determined  to  speak  next  day  with 
Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  about  it.  The  king  was  going  to 
drive  with  them,  and  my  brother  said  he  would  arrange  that 
the  matter  should  be  brought  before  my  father.  As  good-luck 
would  have  it,  I  received  letters  from  the  Margrave  that  very 
21 


322        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

morning,  enclosing  one  to  the  king,  which  I  gave  him  after  din- 
ner. He  was  in  a  very  good-humor,  and  had  drunk  a  little,  but 
his  face  changed  at  once  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  letter.  He 
said  nothing  at  first,  but  after  a  while  turned  to  me,  remarking, 
"  Your  father-in-law  does  not  know  what  he  wants.  You  arc  far 
better  here  than  with  him.  My  son-in-law  must  study  the  art  of 
war,  which  is  far  more  useful  than  planting  cabbages  at  Baireuth." 

Grumkow  and  Seckendorf  represented  to  the  king  that  he 
would  be  the  cause  of  bad  feeling  between  the  Margrave  and 
ourselves  if  he  prevented  our  return  ;  that  although  my  father- 
in-law  had  one  foot  in  the  grave,  he  might  take  it  into  his  head 
to  remarry — a  step  which  would  have  very  disastrous  results  for 
us.  Indeed,  everybody  supported  my  husband  and  myself  in 
oui-  wish  to  go  back  to  Baireuth.  The  king  looked  at  me,  and 
asked  me  what  I  thought  about  it.  I  replied  that  the  gentlemen 
were  quite  right  in  what  they  said,  and  that  I  should  count  it  a 
groat  favor  if  he  would  allow  us  to  take  our  departure.  "  Very 
well,  then,"  my  father  answered,  "you  can  go;  but  "there  is  no 
great  hurry,  and  I  should  not  wish  you  to  leave  till  the  23d  of 
August."  I  never  was  happier  in  my  life  than  when  I  had  at 
last  obtained  the  king's  leave,  and  felt  certain  of  our  return. 

The  last  fortnight  I  spent  at  Berlin  passed  very  quietly.  The 
queen,  who  had  now  grown  accustomed  to  have  me  about  her, 
was  very  sorry  at  my  departure.  She  told  me  that  Grumkow 
had  been  the  cause  of  her  having  treated  me  so  unkindly.  He 
had  represented  to  her  that  my  timidity  alone  had  been  the 
cause  of  the  breach  with  England ;  that  my  father's  anxiety 
to  marry  me  to  the  hereditary  prince  had  been  a  mere  pretence  ; 
that,  had  I  shown  more  determination  on  that  memorable  occa- 
sion when  the  king  had  sent  all  those  gentlemen  to  speak  with 
me,  things  would  have  turned  out  differently.  She  said  I  might, 
therefore,  consider  whether  she  had  not  had  good  cause  of  an- 
noyance with  me.  Upon  this  I  disclosed  to  my  mother  Grum- 
kow's  perfidious  behavior  and  double-dealing. 

The  day  before  I  left  for  Baireuth  the  king  came  to  take 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         323 

leave  of  me.  He  did  not,  however,  show  much  feeling  or  re- 
gret. It  was  the  last  time  that  I  ever  saw  my  dear  father,  whose 
memory  will  always  remain  precious  to  me.  I  took  a  most 
touching  leave  of  my  brother;  my  mother  also  dissolved  into 
tears,  and  I  left  my  old  home  in  great  distress. 

I  dined  at  Sarmiind,  and  after  a  very  bad  dinner  continued 
my  journey.  The  coachman  was  again  kind  enough  to  upset 
the  carriage  twice,  and  I  was  a  good  deal  bruised,  but  neverthe- 
less proceeded  on  my  way.  Next  day  we  reached  Halle,  where 
I  was  received  in  state.  A  deputation  from  the  University 
met  me,  and  presented  an  address.  M.  von  Wackholz,  who 
was  in  command  there  during  the  Prince  of  Anhalt's  absence, 
furnished  me  with  an  escort,  and  asked  me  to  give  him  the 
password.  At  Halle  I  found  Princess  Eadziwill,  sister  of  the 
Margravine  Philip.  She  had  come  there  on  purpose  to  see  me. 
I  knew  her  very  well ;  she  was  most  charming,  and  full  of  wit 
and  cleverness. 

Next  morning  I  left  Halle,  and  reached  Hof  on  the  30th  of 
August.  M.  von  Voit,  who  had  met  me  at  Schleiz,  informed 
me  that  the  Margrave  was  at  Hof,  expecting  our  arrival  with 
the  greatest  pleasure  and  impatience.  My  father-in-law  met  me 
close  to  the  entrance  to  the  town,  accompanied  by  a  suite  in 
thirty  carriages.  I  stopped  my  carriage  and  got  out,  as  I  ob- 
served he  did  the  same.  He  received  me  most  courteously,  and 
was  very  affectionate  in  his  manner  towards  the  hereditary 
prince.  We  then  resumed  our  way,  my  father-in-law  driving 
with  us.  He  thought  me  grown  very  thin  and  much  altered. 
He  told  me  he  had  now  got  a  very  celebrated  doctor  at  Bai- 
reuth,  and  hoped  he  would  be  able  to  cure  me.  We  spent  one 
day  at  Hof,  and  reached  Baireuth  on  the  7th  of  September. 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  was  delighted  to  see  me  again.  I 
found  my  little  daughter  so  grown  and  improved  that  I  should 
scarcely  have  known  her  again.  She  had  been  taught  many 
funny  little  tricks,  and  I  can  say  with  truth  I  never  saw  a  more 
beautiful  child. 


324        MEMOIRS    OF   TUB    MAKGKAVINE    OF    BAIEEUTH. 

Early  next  morning  my  father-in-law  sent  his  doctor  to  see 
me*  I  told  him  what  the  doctors  at  Berlin  had  said,  and 
showed  him  their  written  opinion.  Thinking  my  delicate  state 
of  health  proceeded  from  a  disordered  digestion  and  heated 
blood,  he  proposed  to  bleed  me  next  day,  and  promised  me 
speedy  recovery.  Accordingly  next  morning  the  doctor  took 
ten  ounces  of  blood  from  me,  which  weakened  me  so  much 
that  I  was  unable  to  leave  my  room  for  several  days.  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Marwitz  read  aloud  to  me  of  an  afternoon,  and  the 
Margrave  came  every  evening  to  see  me.  My  father-in-law  was 
full  of  little  attentions  for  me,  which  I  owed  to  the  kind  influ- 
ence of  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  had  gained  wonder- 
ful power  over  him.  To  add  to  my  comfort,  my  father-in-law 
went  away  to  Ilimmelscron.  On  leaving,  he  said  to  me  he  did 
so  purposely  to  leave  me  quiet,  and  to  give  me  a  better  chance 
of  recovering  my  health.  He  knew  that  if  he  remained  at  Bai- 
reuth  I  should  have  to  exert  myself  more  than  was  good  for  me, 
and  he  trusted  to  find  me  much  stronger  on  his  return.  His 
kindness  and  attention  touched  me  very  much,  and  I  determined 
to  do  everything  I  could  to  prevent  this  satisfactory  understand- 
ing being  disturbed.  My  sister  of  Anspach  came  and  spent  a 
few  days  with  me,  and  I  gradually  began  to  improve  under  the 
peace  and  quiet  I  now  enjoyed.  Alas  !  a  new  occurrence  was 
soon  to  plunge  me  into  fresh  anxiety.  I  must  now  give  a  full 
account  of  it. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  King  of  Poland's  sudden  death. 
It  led  to  the  formation  of  two  parties  in  the  country,  the  one 
holding  firmly  to  the  Elector  of  Saxony  and  protected  by  the 
Emperor  of  Russia,  while  the  other  favored  the  claims  of  Stan- 
islaus,* and  was  supported  by  France.  The  Emperor  of  Aus- 

*  Stanislaus  Lcszczynski,  a  Pole  by  birth,  placed  on  the  throne  of 
Poland  through  the  influence  of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  After  the  bat- 
tle of  Pultawa  he  could  no  longer  maintain  himself  on  the  throne.  He 
fled  to  Pomerania  and  then  to  Sweden,  where  he  remained  some  time. 
After  Augustus  II.,  King  of  Poland's  death,  a  party  in  Poland,  supported 


MEMOIRS    OF   TITK    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.         325 

tria's  policy,  which  was  always  opposed  to  that  of  France  and 
that  of  the  King  of  Prussia,  who  himself  cared  very  little  for 
so  powerful  a  neighbor,  naturally  opposed  the  election  of  Stan- 
islaus. Russia  did  so  as  strongly,  for  she  was  bound  by  inti- 
mate ties  to  the  Emperor  of  Austria  and  the  Elector  of  Sax- 
ony. In  spite  of  this  combined  opposition  the  French  party 
triumphed,  and  Stanislaus  Leszczynski  was  chosen  King  of 
Poland.  Russia  was  mortally  offended  at  this  proceeding,  and 
sent  troops  to  Poland,  and  Dantzic  was  invested  by  them.  Ev- 
erything tended  towards  a  rupture  between  Austria  and  France. 
French  troops  were  sent  to  the  Rhine  and  to  Italy.  My  father 
was  bound  by  the  articles  of  the  secret  treaty  made  between 
him  and  the  emperor  to  send  him  a  contingent  of  ten  thousand 
men.  Private  letters  from  Berlin  informed  me  that  the  king 
was  himself  preparing  to  take  the  field,  and  relied  on  my  hus- 
band's accompanying  him. 

It  was  this  that  caused  me  such  anxiety.  I  was  so  accus- 
tomed to  trouble  and  sorrow  that  any  fresh  event  alarmed  me. 
My  grief  had  almost  made  me  sink  into  a  confirmed  state  of 
melancholy.  All  I  had  gone  through  and  suffered  during  my 
stay  at  Berlin  had  made  it  very  difficult  for  me  to  regain  my 
accustomed  cheerfulness.  My  health  did  not  improve,  and  all 
thought  I  was  in  a  rapid  consumption.  I  thought  myself 
doomed,  and  awaited  my  death  with  courage.  The  only  thing 
which  diverted  my  mind  was  the  study  of  the  sciences.  I  wrote 
and  I  read  all  day  long,  and  discussed  scientific  subjects  with 
Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz.  I  did  so  in  order  to  make  her  re- 


by  France,  again  proclaimed  him  king.  Stanislaus  proceeded  to  Warsaw 
and  then  to  Dantzic.  This  town  was  invested  by  the  Russians,  and  Stan- 
islaus escaped  disguised  as  a  peasant.  After  the  treaty  of  Vienna,  in 
1735,  Stanislaus  renounced  the  throne,  but  was  allowed  to  retain  the  title 
of  king.  He  possessed  the  duchies  of  Lorraine  and  Bar  for  life,  and  on 
his  death  they  fell  back  to  France.  He  died  in  1766,  regretted  by  all  hia 
subjects.  His  daughter  was  married  to  Louis  XV.  of  France. — Note  by 
Translator. 


3-26         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

fleet  on  what  she  read,  and  to  develop  her  mind.  This  girl  was 
entirely  devoted  to  me,  and  I  was  extremely  fond  of  her.  She 
had  become  much  more  serious,  and  tried  to  give  me  pleasure 
and  satisfaction  in  every  way  she  could. 

The  Imperial  troops  were  being  gradually  concentrated,  and 
the  Duke  of  Bevern  was  appointed  to  command  them.  The 
hereditary  prince  was  burning  to  take  part  in  the  campaign, 
which  could  not  last  long,  as  the  season  was  so  far  advanced. 
The  Margrave,  however,  made  no  secret  of  how  greatly  he  was 
opposed  to  the  prince's  wishes.  My  husband  only  obtained  per- 
mission to  visit  the  army  in  the  neighborhood  of  Heilbron.  He 
left  for  this  place  on  the  30th  of  September,  and  returned  again 
on  the  1st  of  November. 

The  Princess  of  Culmbach,  daughter  of  the  Margrave  George 
William,  came  to  visit  us  during  this  time.  Her  story  is  so 
curious  that  it  deserves  a  place  in  these  memoirs. 

She  was  educated  by  her  aunt,  the  Queen  of  Poland,  till  she 
reached  her  twelfth  year;  after  which  her  mother,  whom  I 
described  on  my  visit  to  Erlangen,  thought  it  no  longer  neces- 
sary to  leave  her  at  Dresden,  and  sent  for  her  back  to  Baireuth. 
The  young  princess  was  very  beautiful,  and  could  well  bear 
comparison  with  her  mother.  My  father-in-law,  who,  in  con- 
sequence of  Margrave  George  William  having  no  children,  was 
the  probable  heir,  was  among  her  suitors.  He  was  at  that  time 
already  divorced  from  his  first  wife.  The  Margravine,  how- 
ever, could  not  bear  him,  and  her  daughter  shared  her  dislike. 
The  young  princess's  beauty  and  purity  of  mind  made  her 
mother  furiously  jealous,  and  she  determined,  if  possible,  to 
ruin  her.  The  Margravine's  husband  was  much  in  favor  of 
the  princess's  marriage  to  the  Prince  of  Culmbach.  In  order 
to  make  this  impossible,  the  Margravine  endeavored  to  get 
a  certain  Vobscr,  chamberlain  to  her  husband,  to  seduce  the 
young  princess.  She  promised  him  four  thousand  ducats  if 
he  succeeded.  Vobser,  tempted  by  the  prospects  of  so  large  a 
sum,  was  nothing  loath.  He  paid  assiduous  court  to  the  prin- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         327 

cess,  but  earned  only  contempt  at  her  hands.  The  Margravine, 
finding  her  plan  had  failed,  now  conceived  a  more  diaboli- 
cal scheme.  The  unfortunate  princess  fell  into  the  trap,  and 
gave  birth  some  time  later  to  an  illegitimate  child.  The  Mar- 
grave was  so  furious  when  he  heard  of  it  that  he  had  the 
princess  imprisoned  in  the  fortress  of  Plassenburg. 

When  my  father-in-law  succeeded  to  the  principality  on  the 
death  of  the  Margrave,  he  endeavored  to  restore  the  poor 
princess  to  freedom,  but  the  Queen  of  Poland  would  not  hear 
of  it.  The  princess  was,  nevertheless,  no  longer  so  strictly 
guarded  and  watched.  Some  Roman  Catholic  priests  by  this 
means  gained  admittance  to  the  fortress.  They  persuaded 
the  princess  that  if  she  would  only  recant  and  go  over  to  the 
Roman  Church  she  would  gain  the  powerful  protection  of  the 
Empress  Amelie  and  be  set  at  liberty.  Blinded  by  these  fair 
promises,  she  secretly  became  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  on  the 
death  of  the  empress  publicly  announced  her  change  of  faith. 
Before  long,  however,  religious  doubts  assailed  her,  and  short- 
ly before  my  return  to  Baireuth  she  again  returned  to  Prot- 
estantism. My  father-in-law,  who  was  anxious  to  show  his 
zeal  for  the  Protestant  cause,  invited  the  princess  to  Baireuth, 
received  her  with  every  mark  of  respect,  and  reinstated  her 
in  the  good  opinion  of  the  world.  She  did  indeed  deserve  it, 
for  she  was  endowed  with  many  great  qualities.  She  was  al- 
ways doing  good,  and  her  behavior  at  all  times  more  than 
atoned  for  the  fault  she  had  been  forced  to  commit.  The 
princess  made  a  very  short  stay  at  Baireuth,  and  returned  to 
Culmbach  after  a  few  days.  My  health  prevented  my  accom- 
panying her,  as  I  otherwise  should  have.  She,  however,  met 
the  Margrave  and  the  hereditary  prince,  who  were  hunting  in 
that  neighborhood. 

I  have  in  these  memoirs  made  a  point  of  mentioning  every 
fact  that  concerns  myself,  and  like  telling  little  anecdotes  to 
enliven  my  narrative.  I  shall  therefore  give  one  here,  which 
made  a  greater  impression  on  many  people  than  on  myself, 


328        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTIT. 

because  much  study  and  reflection  have  made  me  overcome 
many  prejudices.  Indeed,  I  flatter  myself  I  am  somewhat  of 
a  philosopher. 

The  hereditary  prince's  suite  of  apartments  was  composed 
of  two  large  rooms,  with  a  small  antechamber  attached  to 
them.  There  were  two  doors,  one  communicating  with  my 
bedroom  and  the  other  with  a  vestibule  or  hall,  where  two  sen- 
tinels and  one  footman  kept  watch.  On  the  7th  of  November 
the  three  men  were  suddenly  awakened  in  the  night  by  hear- 
ing steps  in  the  large  room,  and  soon  afterwards  a  whining 
noise,  to  which  succeeded  cries  as  of  some  one  in  great  dis- 
tress. They  went  several  times  into  the  room,  but  without 
discovering  anything,  and  as  soon  us  they  had  left  the  noise 
recommenced.  Six  sentinels,  who  relieved  one  another  in 
succession,  gave  the  same  account.  On  M.  von  Reitzenstein's 
being  informed  of  the  occurrence,  strict  search  was  made, 
but  without  any  result.  The  incident  was  kept  a  profound 
secret  from  me.  People  pretended  it  had  been  the  "  White 
Lady,"  *  who  had  appeared  as  a  warning  of  my  approaching 
death.  Others  feared  some  accident  would  befall  the  heredit- 
ary prince.  This  fear  was,  however,  soon  put  to  rest  by  his 
return  with  the  Margrave  on  the  llth  of  November. 

They  had  scarcely  reached  home  when  a  messenger  brought 
the  news  of  the  death  of  my  brother-in-law,  Prince  William. 
Strange  to  say,  he  had  died  at  the  very  hour  at  which  the 
strange  noise  had  been  heard  in  the  Castle.  Prince  William 
had  left  Vienna  with  his  uncle,  the  Prince  of  Culmbach,  to 
rejoin  his  regiment  at  Cremona.  Soon  after  his  arrival  there 
lie  had  caught  small-pox,  and  died  in  seven  days.  It  was  a 
relief  to  the  whole  family,  for  he  was  almost  imbecile,  and 
hud  he  lived  longer  would  have  caused  much  trouble. 

The  Margrave  received  the  news  with  great  equanimity,  and 

*  A  white  figure  that  was  said  to  appear  in  several  of  the  royal  Imnscs 
of  (iermany  before  a  death  took  place  in  the  family. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.         329 

never  shed  a  tear.  My  husband,  on  the  other  hand,  was  not  to 
be  comforted,  so  that  I  had  the  greatest  trouble  in  diverting 
his  mind.  The  Prince  of  Culmbach  found  means  of  sending 
Prince  William's  body  secretly  to  Baireuth.  We  all  went  to 
Himmelscron  to  avoid  being  present  at  the  funeral.  The 
prince  was  to  be  interred  in  the  family  vault  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Peter.  The  vault  had  always  been  kept  walled  up,  and  had 
to  be  opened  some  days  before  the  funeral.  The  astonishment 
of  those  who  entered  the  vault  can  be  easily  imagined  when  it 
was  discovered  to  be  full  of  blood.  The  whole  town  came  to 
see  the  extraordinary  sight,  and  most  unpleasant  rumors  were 
circulated.  I  was  told  of  this  at  Ilimmclscron,  and  some  one 
brought  me  a  handkerchief  which  had  been  dipped  in  this 
miraculous  blood.  The  Margrave  had  heard  nothing  of  all  this, 
as  people  were  afraid  of  frightening  him.  I,  however,  was  of 
opinion  that  he  should  be  told,  and  implored  him  to  send  his 
own  doctor,  M.  Gackel,  to  inquire  into  the  facts  of  this  singular 
occurrence. 

My  father-in-law  granted  my  request,  and  begged  me  to  see 
that  a  thorough  investigation  was  made,  lie  was  well  aware 
of  the  panic  the  whole  circumstance  must  have  created.  Gackel 
reported  that  the  blood  had  so  filled  the  vault  that  he  had  had 
some  carried  away  in  buckets  to  be  examined.  He  thought  it 
proceeded  from  a  crack  in  the  coffin  of  a  princess  that  had  been 
buried  eighty  years  ago!  To  make  quite  sure  he  thought  it 
would  be  best  to  open  the  coffin.  The  Margrave  agreed  to  this, 
and  the  necessary  order  was  given.  It  was,  however,  found  that 
it  was  impossible  to  execute  it.  After  some  further  inquiries 
a  chemist  in  the  town  put  an  end  to  the  various  suppositions. 
The  supposed  blood  was  discovered  to  be  balsam,  which  had 
been  used  for  embalming  the  said  princess.  The  whole  cir- 
cumstance was  considered  very  strange.  Prince  William  was 
buried  on  the  3d  of  December.  Mademoiselle  von  Grurnkow 
and  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  attended  the  funeral,  and  re- 
turned to  Himmelscron  after  it. 


330         MEMOIRS    OP    THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTfl. 

Next  day,  when  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  andT  were  sitting 
alone  together,  I  observed  how  silent  and  absent  she  seemed  to 
be,  and  asked  her  the  cause.  She  sighed,  and  answered  that 
she  was  very  sad,  but  was  not  allowed  to  say  why.  Her  re- 
ply made  me  very  curious,  and  I  pressed  her  to  tell  me  the 
reason  of  her  dejection.  "I  wish  to  God  I  might  tell  you," 
Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  said.  "I  have  a  far  greater  wish  to 
speak  than  your  Royal  Highness  has  to  hear ;  but  I  have  sworn 
a  terrible  oath  to  keep  silent.  All  I  may  say  is  that  it  con- 
cerns you."  Her  whole  manner  and  tone  alarmed  me.  I 
could  not  in  the  least  make  out  what  she  could  possibly  mean. 
I  tried  to  get  at  the  truth  by  cross-questioning  her,  but  at  ev- 
ery fresh  question  I  put  she  shook  her  head.  At  last  she  said 
it  had  to  do  with  the  Margrave.  "  Do  you  mean  to  say  that 
he  intends  to  marry  ?"  I  exclaimed.  She  made  a  sign  in  the 
affirmative.  "  But  with  whom  ?"  I  asked ;  "  and  how  comes 
it  that  you  are  the  first  to  hear  of  it?  Without  telling  me  in 
so  many  words  what  and  who  it  is,  you  can  tell  me  by  signs." 
Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  jumped  up  from  her  chair,  ran  across 
the  room,  seized  a  pencil,  and  wrote  at  some  length  on  the  wall, 
after  which  she  left  me.  I  had  already  become  very  uncom- 
fortable, but  when  I  read  the  words  she  had  written  I  was 
petrified. 

"  I  went  this  morning  to  see  my  Aunt  Flora  "  (that  was  the 
Christian  name  of  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld's  sister,  and  I 
shall  for  the  future  always  call  her  by  it  in  these  memoirs).  "  I 
found  her  very  busy  and  very  silent.  I  asked  her  what  was 
the  matter,  to  which  she  replied  that  she  had  many  things  on 
her  mind,  which  would,  if  I  knew  them,  greatly  surprise  me. 
On  my  entreating  her  to  explain  what  she  meant,  she  answered 
that  she  would  confide  her  secret  to  me  on  condition  of  my 
swearing  not  to  divulge  it.  I  gave  her  the  required  promise. 
My  aunt  Flora  now  told  me  that  ever  since  we  had  left  for 
In-iTm  the  Margrave  had  begun  to  pay  her  marked  attention  ; 
that  he  had  become  so  attached  to  her  that  he  was  determined 


AfiaiOTRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.        331 

to  marry  her.  He  intended  raising  her  to  the  rank  of  a  count- 
ess in  the  empire  (Reichsgrafin),  so  that  after  her  marriage  she 
might  be  on  an  equality  with  other  princesses.  In  this  case 
he  would  leave  Baireuth  for  good  and  establish  himself  entire- 
ly at  Himmelscron.  He  would  settle  a  large  dowry  on  her,  and 
some  place  out  of  the  principality,  so  that  she  should  be  safe  from 
any  possible  unpleasantness  that  might  arise  through  the  hered- 
itary prince.  The  Margrave  had  only  waited  till  his  son's  fu- 
neral was  over  to  inform  your  Royal  Highness  of  his  intentions 
himself.  I  told  my  aunt  that  neither  your  Royal  Highness  nor 
the  hereditary  prince  would  ever  consent  to  this  marriage,  and 
that  the  king  would  support  you  in  your  opposition  to  it;  that 
her  sister,  your  governess,  would  have  to  leave  the  Court ;  that 
she  would  be  miserable  forever  afterwards,  and  that  I  could  not 
believe  she  could  place  any  reliance  in  such  phantasms. 

'"These  are  no  phantasms,'  my  aunt  replied;  'I  cannot  see 
why  I  should  not  accept  the  happiness  offered  me.  What 
wrong  am  I  doing  the  hereditary  princess  or  her  husband?  If 
the  Margrave  does  not  marry  me  he  will  marry  some  one  else, 
and,  after  all,  he  need  ask  for  no  one's  consent.'  '  But  if  you 
have  children  ?'  I  continued  .  .  .  .  '  If  I  have  children  I  shall 
die,  but  I  shall  have  none  ;  I  am  too  old  for  that.'  '  Take  care 
what  you  are  about,  and  do  not  treat  this  matter  lightly,  for  it 
may  have  terrible  consequences  for  you,'  I  answered.  '  Pah  !' 
cried  my  aunt,  '  you  are  young,  and  are  alarmed  without  any 
cause.  I  am  sorry  now  that  I  have  told  you  anything  about  it. 
At  least  be  good  enough  to  keep  my  secret.  I  must  now  go  to 
Himmelscron,  where  I  shall  find  my  sister,  who  knows  nothing, 
and  to  whom  1  must  break  the  news.' " 

I  never  was  more  surprised  at  anything  in  my  life,  and  end- 
less thoughts  crossed  my  mind.  The  time  was,  however,  short : 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  was  to  come  next  day,  as  well  as 
the  Margrave,  who  would  probably  tell  me  the  whole  of  this 
beautiful  story.  I  rubbed  out  what  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz 
had  written  on  the  wall,  and  then  sent  for  my  husband,  to  whom 


332         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

I  told  the  fatal  secret.  We  were  both,  so  to  speak,  on  the 
rack,  and  did  not  know  what  to  do. 

I  was  so  upset  and  so  totally  unable  to  regain  my  compos- 
ure that  I  excused  myself  from  appearing  at  dinner  on  the  plea 
of  indisposition.  Neither  my  husband  nor  I  could  sleep  all 
night,  but  kept  walking  up  and  down  our  room.  The  matter 
was  far  too  serious  in  every  aspect.  First  of  all,  it  was  no 
honor  to  have  a  step-mother  of  inferior  rank ;  secondly,  such  a 
step-mother  might  do  us  and  the  country  endless  harm,  and 
bring  about  fresh  misunderstandings  between  the  Margrave  and 
ourselves ;  thirdly,  my  governess,  whom  I  loved  almost  as  if 
she  were  my  mother,  and  who  was  devoted  to  me,  would,  as 
well  as  Flora  von  Sonnsfeld,  be  obliged  to  leave  me.  They 
would  be  miserably  unhappy,  as  the  king  would  be  sure  to  send 
for  them  to  Berlin  and  imprison  them.  And  then,  fourthly, 
the  whole  circumstance  would  do  me  harm  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world,  as  people  would  naturally  think  I  had  been  deceived. 
No  one  would  for  a  moment  believe  that  my  governess  and  her 
sister  had  not  both  agreed  to  befool  me.  All  this  made  me 
quite  ill ;  and  though  I  did  all  I  could  to  preserve  my  compos- 
ure outwardly,  "Aunt  Flora"  could  not  help  observing  next 
day  that  I  was  mortally  wounded.  She  induced  the  Margrave 
not  to  speak  with  me  for  the  present,  saying  she  did  not  con- 
sider the  moment  propitious.  She  reproached  Mademoiselle  von 
Marwitz  bitterly  for  having  spoken  to  me;  but  the  latter  was 
able  to  pacify  her,  and  obtain  her  confidence  anew. 

Flora  enjoyed  talking  of  her  future  high  position.  "As 
step-mother,  I  shall  be  able  to  claim  precedence  of  her  Royal 
Highness,  and  the  Margrave  has  promised  to  obtain  that  right 
for  me.  All  the  same,  I  shall  never  forget  the  respect  due  to 
the  hereditary  princess,  and  shall  try  to  be  of  what  use  I  can 
to  her.  I  shall  wait  for  a  little  while  longer  before  I  tell  her 
everything,  and  the  Margrave  intends  doing  the  same.  We 
shall  try  and  flatter  her,  in  order  to  win  her  consent  to  our 
wishes." 


MEMOIltS    OF   THE    MAKUKAVINK    OF    ISAIHKU'J  H.         333 

Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  told  me  all  this.  After  much  re- 
flection I  determined  to  tell  my  governess  all  about  it;  but  in 
order  to  shield  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  I  gave  out  that  an 
anonymous  note  had  informed  me  of  the  matter.  Mademoi- 
selle von  Sonnsfeld  was  ferocious  when  I  told  her,  and  declared 
it  was  a  malicious  invention  of  her  enemies  to  ruin  her  and  her 
family.  However,  when  I  gave  her  proofs  of  all  I  had  said 
she  grew  calmer.  I  called  her  attention  to  the  constant  visits 
the  Margrave  paid  her  sister,  and  to  his  marked  attentions  to 
her.  My  governess  raised  her  hands  to  heaven  with  sobs  and 
tears.  She  was  so  angry  that  she  at  first  wanted  to  demand  an 
interview  with  the  Margrave.  Then  she  thought  of  resigning 
and  taking  her  sister  away  with  her.  However,  this  did  not 
suit  my  views,  and  I  persuaded  her  we  could  put  an  end  to  this 
intrigue  only  by  using  gentle  remonstrances.  She  at  last  gave 
way  to  my  wishes.  Flora  came  again  several  times  to  Himmels- 
cron,  where  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  could  not  resist  teas- 
ing her  about  her  long  and  frequent  interviews  with  the  Mar- 
grave. 

We  returned  to  Baireuth  on  the  20th  of  December.  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld  could  now  no  longer  keep  silent,  and  treat- 
ed her  sister  pitilessly,  and  told  her  I  was  fully  aware  of  all  her 
intrigues.  Flora  was  not  clever;  and,  as  she  had  been  educated 
by  her  sister,  was  in  great  awe  of  her.  She  therefore  made 
a  full  confession  to  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld.  She  even 
showed  her  the  Margrave's  letters,  in  which  he  promised  to 
make  ample  provision  for  her  in  case  of  his  death.  The  letters 
were  all  written  in  most  flattering  terms.  As  soon  as  my  gov- 
erness  had  read  these  she  told  Flora  to  accompany  her  to  my 
room  and  show  me  them,  and  then  to  write  to  the  Margrave 

'  O 

in  my  presence  breaking  off  the  engagement.  If  she  refused 
to  do  this  she  would  at  once  act  alone,  and  would  assuredly 
find  other  means  by  which  to  remove  her  from  Baireuth.  The 
linn  manner  in  which  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  spoke  to 
her  frightened  Flora.  She  therefore  came  to  me  and  told  me 


334        MEMOIUS    OF   THIS    MAIMiliAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

all  the  circumstances.  She  tried  to  make  believe  that  she 
had  never  meant  to  accept  the  Margrave's  offer.  I  appeared 
as  if  I  believed  this,  and  spoke  kindly  and  gently  to  her,  yet 
making  her  clearly  understand  that  I  would  never  consent  to 
the  marriage.  My  husband  promised  to  provide  for  her,  at 
the  same  time  repeating  what  I  had  said.  "  You  can  never 
be  princess,"  I  said  to  her;  "the  emperor  alone  could  raise  you 
to  that  rank,  and  he  has  far  too  much  consideration  for  the 
king  to  do  anything  which  would  displease  him.  You  there- 
fore see  that  the  whole  thing  is  impossible."  Flora  promised 
me  to  write  to  the  Margrave  that  he  must  once  for  all  give  up 
his  intention.  As  she  could,  however,  from  her  great  influence 
with  him  be  of  considerable  use  to  us,  she  determined  to  ap- 
proach him  carefully,  in  order  to  prevent  any  serious  rupture 
between  them.  She  kept  her  word,  and  there  was  happily  an 
end  to  this  unpleasant  business. 

Mademoiselle  Flora  von  Sonnsfeld  is  only  five  feet  in  height, 
very  stout,  and  larne.  In  her  youth  she  is  said  to  have  been  a 
great  beauty,  but  the  chicken-pox  had  so  disfigured  her  that 
she  could  no  longer  lay  claim  to  it.  In  spite  of  this,  however, 
her  face  is  attractive,  and  her  eyes  are  so  full  of  cleverness  that 
they  mislead  you.  Her  head  being  too  large  for  her  body  gives 
her  the  appearance  of  a  dwarf,  but  the  rest  of  her  figure  pre- 
sents nothing  remarkable.  She  has  grace  and  dignity,  and  her 
manners  denote  that  she  has  lived  in  the  world.  She  has  an 
excellent  heart,  and  is  gentle  and  anxious  to  be  of  use  to  others. 
In  a  word,  there  is  nothing  to  find  fault  with  in  her  character. 
Her  conduct  was  always  irreproachable,  but  Heaven  had  not 
endowed  her  with  consistency.  A  certain  amount  of  knowl- 
edge of  the  world  enabled  her  to  hide  this  fault,  which  became 
apparent  only  on  intimate  acquaintance.  The  advantages  of- 
fered her  by  the  Margrave  had  dazzled  her,  ambition  and  self- 
ishness had  misled  her,  and  her  narrowness  of  intellect  had  not 
enabled  her  to  forsce  the  results. 

My  health  still  continued  indifferent.     I  no  longer  had  con- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BA1REUTH.         335 

slant  fever,  though  it  returned  at  night.  I  was,  however,  able 
to  receive  company,  though  doing  so  did  not  amuse  me.  I 
was  always  low  spirited,  though  I  did  my  utmost  to  appear 
cheerful  in  the  presence  of  others.  My  illness  was  greatly  the 
cause  of  my  melancholy,  but  the  annoyance  I  had  had  while 
at  Berlin  had  quite  as  much  to  do  with  it.  I  had  got  into  a 
habit  of  sitting  silent,  pondering  over  things. 

Prince  William's  death  had  left  his  regiment  in  the  Imperial 
army  without  a  commander.  The  Margrave  was  advised  to 
ask  that  it  might  be  given  to  the  hereditary  prince.  Margrave 
George  William  had  raised  the  regiment  upon  the  condition 
that  it  should  always  belong  to  the  family.  My  father-in-law 
desired  me  to  write  to  the  empress  on  the  subject.  I  received 
a  most  gracious  answer  from  her,  and  the  request  was  granted. 
The  hereditary  prince  was  delighted,  for  he  was  devoted  to 
soldiering. 

We  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  Carnival.  Mademoiselle 
von  Marwitz  did  her  utmost  to  cheer  me,  and  proposed  that  1 
should  arrange  a  masquerade.  My  husband,  who  loved  amuse- 
ment, urged  me  to  obtain  the  Margrave's  permission  for  the 
purpose.  This  was  not  so  easy,  for  my  father-in-law  disliked 
all  gayeties.  It  was  a  matter  of  conscience  with  him,  and  his 
chaplain,  who  was  very  pious,  encouraged  him  in  this  view. 
Flora  von  Sonnsfeld,  with  whom  we  spoke  of  our  wish,  managed 
so  well  that  the  Margrave  himself  proposed  my  giving  this  ball. 
He  asked  me  to  undertake  all  the  arrangements,  and  made  only 
one  condition,  viz.,  that  he  need  not  wear  a  mask.  This  kind 
of  fete  is  known  only  in  Germany.  A  host  and  hostess  arc 
represented,  and  the  other  guests  act  the  part  of  the  different 
trades  and  guilds  of  the  country,  all  wearing  masks. 

I  had  the  large  ballroom  transformed  into  a  wood,  with  a 
village  and  an  inn  at  the  end  of  it.  The  house  was  built  of 
bark,  and  the  roof  covered  with  tiny  lamps.  In  the  interior 
of  it  a  table  was  laid  for  twenty  people,  having  a  centre-piece 
with  a  fountain.  The  ball  commenced  after  dinner.  Every 


336        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAUGUAVINE    OF   BAIREDTH. 

one  else  was  charmed  with  it,  but  I  was  only  bored ;  for  my 
father-in-law  never  left  me  in  peace,  but  insisted  on  holding 
long  moral  discussions  with  me.  He  prevented  my  speaking 
to  any  of  my  guests,  of  whom  there  were  many  whose  con- 
versation I  should  have  enjoyed. 

The  following  Sunday  the  Margrave's  almoner  preached  a 
long  sermon  on  the  sinfulness  of  this  ball,  and  publicly  called 
us  all  to  order.  Although  he  openly  spared  the  Margrave,  he 
reproached  him  so  bitterly  in  private  for  having  consented  to 
the  masquerade  that  my  poor  father-in-law  thought  himself 
condemned  to  all  eternity.  lie  promised  solemnly  that  such 
festivities  should  never  take  place  again,  upon  which  his  chap- 
lain gave  him  absolution.  But  this  was  not  sufficient ;  the 
Margrave  wished  my  husband  to  take  a  similar  oath,  which  he, 
however,  found  means  of  evading,  to  the  great  displeasure 
of  his  father.  A  circumstance  arising  at  that  time  only 
strengthened  the  Margrave  in  his  superstitious  views,  and 
might  have  resulted  in  his  adopting  the  life  of  a  Trappist, 
had  not  iny  husband  brought  the  deception  practised  on  him 
to  light. 

Since  Prince  William's  death  a  general  panic  existed  on  the 
subject  of  ghosts.  Every  day  some  fresh  absurd  story  was 
circulated  of  persons  and  things  supposed  to  have  been  seen 
and  heard  in  the  castle.  Each  story  was  more  improbable 
than  the  last.  The  anxiety  about  my  health  seemed  to  have 
called  a  real  ghost  of  flesh  and  blood  into  existence.  It  often 
happens  that  what  you  most  wish  you  are  at  last  inclined  to 
believe  as  a  fact.  A  rumor  was  set  on  foot  in  the  town  that  I 
was  expecting  to  be  confined;  but  as  I  was  aware  what  had 
caused  this  I  took  to  riding,  partly  as  an  amusement  and  part- 
ly because  the  doctors  considered  it  good  for  my  health.  The 
Margrave  had  given  me  a  charming  easy  black  horse.  As 
I  was  still  very  weak  my  ride  never  exceeded  a  quarter  of 
an  hour.  Anything  out  of  the  common  is  sure  to  meet  with 
disapprobation.  The  custom  of  ladies  riding  on  horseback, 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         337 

which  was  so  common  in  England  and  France,  was  unknown 
in  Germany.  Every  one  exclaimed  against  it,  and  hence  the 
stories  of  ghosts  arose.  After  a  little  while  Chamberlain  von 
Rcitzenstein  was  informed  that  a  figure  of  supernatural  size 
appeared  every  evening  in  the  castle,  saying  these  words  in  a 
terrible  voice :  "  Tell  the  highest  lady  in  the  land  that  if  she 
continues  to  ride  a  black  horse  some  dreadful  misfortune  will 
overtake  her.  Tell  her  that  she  must  on  no  account  be  seen 
outside  her  room  for  six  weeks." 

M.  von  Reitzenstein,  himself  the  most  superstitious  of  mor- 
tals, at  once  informed  the  Margrave  of  this  fact ;  the  conse- 
quence being  that  I  received  an  order  on  no  account  to  leave 
the  castle  or  to  be  seen  out  riding.  My  annoyance  was  ex- 
treme, particularly  at  the  absurd  reason  which  had  caused  this 
prohibition.  I  represented  to  the  Margrave  that  the  whole 
circumstance  was  the  purest  invention ;  and  my  husband  in- 
sisted so  seriously  on  its  being  so  that  he  obtained  his  father's 
command  to  sift  the  whole  matter.  The  hereditary  prince 
thereupon  had  a  watch  kept  at  every  entrance  in  the  castle  at 
which  the  ghost  was  said  to  show  itself,  but  without  result. 
The  supernatural  being  seemed  to  have  been  informed  of  the 
measures  taken  against  it,  for  it  did  not  appear.  The  heredi- 
tary prince  at  length  had  a  secret  interview  with  the  instigator 
of  the  whole  fraud,  and  promised  her  (for  a  woman  it  was)  a 
large  sum  of  money  if  she  would  say  who  it  was.  The  poor 
woman  took  a"  lantern  with  her,  but  had  only  time  to  look  for 
one  moment  at  the  apparition  when  it  threw  some  poison  at 
her  which  blinded  her  for  life.  According  to  her  information, 
the  person  who  represented  the  ghost  had  nutshells  over  her 
eyes,  and  was  tightly  swathed  in  white  linen  sheets.  The 
Margrave's  superstitious  piety,  or  rather  his  bad  humor  with 
us,  was  not  in  any  way  appeased  by  this  discovery.  The 
hereditary  prince  deemed  it  advisable,  in  order  to  avoid  any 
possible  misunderstanding  between  us  and  his  father,  to  leave 
Baireuth  for  a  short  while.  We  owed  the  Margrave  of  Afls- 
22 


338        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

pach  a  visit ;  so  we  took  this  opportunity  of  paying  it,  and 
left  for  Auspach  on  the  21st  of  January. 

It  seemed  almost  as  if  the  prediction  of  the  ghost  were  to 
conic  true.  In  driving  down  a  very  steep  road  the  front 
•wheel  of  our  carriage  came  off,  and  we  were  nearly  flung  head- 
long down  a  precipice.  My  husband,  my  governess,  and  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Marwitz  had  managed  to  get  out  of  the  car- 
riage, and  my  servants,  who  were  holding  it  back,  thought  I 
had  done  the  same.  They  let  go  their  hold,  and  I  should  have 
been  killed  had  I  not  jumped  out.  In  doing  so  I  fell  down, 
and  must  have  been  crushed  by  the  wheels  had  I  not  been  ex- 
tricated by  a  Prussian  who  was  with  us.  Having  had  some 
wine  to  strengthen  me  after  this  fright,  we  continued  our 
journey. 

A  thaw  had  set  in  with  the  night,  but  the  sun  was  required 
to  melt  the  ice  in  the  shade.  Our  road  led  across  a  river,  which 
was  frozen  over.  As  soon,  however,  as  we  got  on  it  the  ice 
gave  way,  and  carriage  and  horses  stuck  fast.  We  were  at 
length  pulled  out  by  the  aid  of  ropes,  and  narrowly  escaped 
drowning. 

At  length  we  reached  Baiersdorf,  where  we  spent  the  night. 
I  was  more  dead  than  alive  from  fatigue  and  the  terror  of  the 
narrow  escapes  we  had  had.  We  reached  Anspach  next  even- 
ing. My  reception  there  resembled  that  given  me  on  the  oc- 
casion of  my  first  visit;  and  as  I  described  the  Court  on  that 
occasion  I  will  not  stop  to  do  so  again.  We  returned  to  Bai- 
reuth  on  the  10th  of  February,  having  left  Anspach  on  the  8th. 

New  troubles  awaited  us  on  our  return  home.  At  the  time 
of  my  marriage  a  treaty  had  been  made  between  the  king  and 
the  Margrave,  by  which  rny  father  obtained  the  right  to  levy 
three  Prussian  regiments  in  the  principality,  viz.,  my  brother's, 
the  hereditary  prince's,  and  the  Prince  of  Anhalt's. '  M.  von 
Miinichovv,  the  recruiting-officer  at  Baireuth,  was  a  young  man 
who  stood  high  in  my  brother's  favor.  lie  was  a  son  of  the 
Miuiichow  who  had  been  of  such  service  to  the  crown  prince 


MEMOIltS    OF   THE    MAKGRAVINK    OF    iiAIUEUTH.        339 

during  his  imprisonment  at  Kiistrin,  and  had  been  specially 
recommended  to  my  husband's  notice.  He  was  a  good  young 
man,  but  had  certainly  not  invented  gunpowder.  lie  met  us 
at  Streitberg,  where  we  were  to  dine,  and  announced  to  my 
husband  the  fact  of  his  having  enlisted  a  young  man  over  six 
feet  in  height.  This  giant  belonged  to  Bamberg,  and  had  in- 
tended joining  another  regiment.  M.  von  Miinichow  had,  there- 
fore, taken  him  by  force  and  brought  him  secretly  to  Pasewalk, 
without  any  one's  finding  it  out.  He  added  that  the  man  was 
a  great  rascal,  who  would  do  no  good  otherwise.  He  there- 
fore thought  the  occurrence  would  make  no  great  stir. 

The  hereditary  prince  told  me  of  this  feat  of  Miinichow's, 
and  I  at  once  foresaw  the  annoyance  it  would  cause  us.  My 
husband  told  Miinichow  of  my  apprehensions;  but  he  reas- 
sured him  greatly,  by  telling  him  of  all  the  precautions  he  had 
taken  in  the  matter.  We  therefore  hoped  that  the  whole 
transaction  would  remain  a  secret.  The  Margrave  received  us 
so  kindly  on  our  arrival  at  Baireuth  that  I  quite  thought  he 
had  heard  nothing,  and  he  left  in  a  most  amiable  mood  for 
llimmelscron  on  the  12th  of  February.  We  therefore  had  ev- 
ery reason  to  think  the  circumstance  was  past  and  forgotten, 
when  M.  von  Voit  had  us  awakened  at  midnight,  demanding 
most  urgently  to  speak  with  us.  lie  told  us  that  Councillor 
Lauterbach  (a  man  of  no  particular  social  position)  had  been  to 
see  him  towards  dusk.  He  had  asked  him  to  inform  us  that 
he  had  just  come  from  llimmelscron,  where  he  had  left  the 
Margrave  in  a  greater  state  of  rage  than  he  had  ever  seen  him 
in  before.  He  had  found  out  what  Miinichow  had  done,  sus- 
pected the  hereditary  prince  of  being  concerned  in  it,  and  had 
sworn  revenge  of  the  most  summary  kind.  The  Margrave  in- 
tended to  come  to  town  next  day,  and  Lauterbach  warned  us 
to  take  our  precautions,  as  everything  was  to  be  feared  for  my 
husband. 

This  intelligence  caused  us  a  deadly  fear.  We  consulted 
and  deliberated  in  vain ;  we  could  find  no  means  of  escape 


340        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

from  the  difficulty.  Nothing  remained  to  the  hereditary  prince 
but  to  bow  to  the  inevitable  and  submit.  If  this  was  of  no 
use,  then  all  was  lost.  We  spent  a  cruel  night. 

As  soon  as  it  was  morning  I  sent  for  Mademoiselle  von 
Sonnsfeld,  and  we  consulted  afresh  what  was  to  be  done,  but 
equally  without  result.  At  last  we  spoke  to  Flora  von  Sonnsfeld. 
She  promised  to  use  all  the  influence  she  possessed  with  the 
Margrave  to  mediate  in  the  matter.  She  feared,  however, 
that  she  would  be  able  to  do  but  little.  We  took  so  little 
trouble  at  any  time  to  give  the  Margrave  pleasure,  she  said, 
that  we  could  not  be  surprised  if  he  treated  us  as  he  did.  I 
asked  her  to  explain  what  she  meant  by  this  remark,  as  I  did 
not  understand  it.  I  could  not  remember  that  the  hereditary 
prince  or  I  had  ever  failed  in  consideration  towards  my  father- 
in-law.  Flora  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  remained  silent.  I 
knew  perfectly  well  what  she  meant,  but  I  wished  to  oblige 
her  to  speak  more  clearly.  She  did  not  know  what  answer  to 
make,  and  therefore  merely  replied  that  I  turned  him  into  ridi- 
cule, and  treated  him  like  some  one  who  was  not  quite  in  his 
right  mind.  "  If  I  have  ever  said  that  the  Margrave  was  not," 
I  replied,  "  I  spoke  the  truth.  But  I  made  this  remark  only 
in  the  presence  of  people  who  I  was  sure  would  make  no  bad 
use  of  it,  like  your  sister  and  yourself.  I  admit  that  the  Mar- 
grave has  now  good  cause  to  be  angry.  I  entirely  disapproved 
of  Miinichow's  proceeding,  and  should  not  blame  my  father- 
in-law  if  he  found  fault  with  his  son  about  it,  as  long  as  he 
refrained  from  violence,  which  would  place  him  completely  in 
the  wrong." 

I  spent  the  whole  afternoon  in  a  great  state  of  agitation. 
I  knew  what  the  Margrave's  fits  of  rage  would  be,  and  that  in 
the  first  heat  of  the  moment  he  was  capable  of  anything.  He 
arrived  at  five  o'clock.  My  husband  received  him  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairs,  and  accompanied  him  to  his  room.  My  father- 
in-law  was  most  affectionate  and  kind  in  his  manner  towards 
the  hereditary  prince,  and  conversed  for  an  hour  with  him. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        341 

He  then  dismissed  him,  saying  he  had  some  business  to  trans- 
act, after  which  he  would  come  and  see  me.  My  husband  re- 
turned quite  triumphant  to  me  after  this  interview.  He  spoke 
of  his  father  in  Flora's  presence  in  the  highest  terms  of  praise. 
He  said  he  should  never  forget  the  temperate  manner  in  which 
the  Margrave  had  spoken  with  him  on  this  occasion.  Although 
he — the  hereditary  prince — was  quite  innocent  of  Miinichow's 
high-handed  proceeding,  yet  he  felt  the  wrong  that  had  been 
done  far  more  keenly  than  if  his  father  had  been  violent  with 
him.  But  this  peaceful  atmosphere  was  soon  disturbed,  and 
we  heard  that  M.  von  Miinichow  and  two  sergeants  had  been 
arrested  and  imprisoned. 

I  remembered  that  not  long  before  this  occurrence  the 
Dutch  had  shot  a  Prussian  officer  whom  they  had  caught  re- 
cruiting on  their  territory,  and  I  remembered,  too,  that  the 
Margrave  had  expressed  his  approval  of  their  action.  I  there- 
fore had  but  little  doubt  that  Miinichow  would  suffer  the  same 
fate.  I  trembled  at  the  possibility,  for  I  foresaw  what  dread- 
ful results  it  would  have.  As  I  was  considering  what  could 
possibly  be  done  to  prevent  so  dangerous  a  step  my  father-in- 
law  entered  my  room.  He  was  extremely  gracious,  while  I 
was  greatly  agitated.  As  we  were  just  going  to  dinner  we 
only  spoke  of  trivial  matters.  After  dinner  was  over  I  ap- 
proached my  father-in-law,  saying  to  him,  "  Your  Highness  has 
every  right  to  be  extremely  angry  with  M.  von  Miinichow. 
The  hereditary  prince  blames  him  as  much  as  I  do.  Still,  as 
his  arrest  will  cause  the  king  extreme  annoyance,  I  implore  your 
Highness  to  set  him  at  liberty  for  my  sake.  It  is  the  first  fa- 
vor I  have  ever  asked  of  you,  and  I  feel  convinced  you  will 
not  refuse  it  me."  The  Margrave  listened  to  me  coldly,  and 
then  replied  in  a  most  arrogant  tone,  "Your  Royal  Highness 
is  always  demanding  favors  of  me  which  I  cannot  grant.  The 
proceeding  is  a  monstrous  one.  The  man  whom  Miinichow 
has  carried  off  is  a  Catholic  priest.  He  was  bound  and  most 
cruelly  treated,  and  that  even  in  my  presence.  I  shall  have 


342         MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII. 

endless  trouble  with  the  Bishop  of  Bamberg,  and  I  cannot 
stand  being  treated  with  so  great  a  want  of  respect.  If  my 
son  has  had  any  hand  in  it,  I  almost  wish  he  had  never  been 
born,  or  had  been  strangled  in  his  cradle.  I  am  master  here, 
and  I  will  make  my  power  felt  by  all  who  forget  what  is  due 
to  me  and  my  position." 

"  Nobody  has,  I  think,  ever  ventured  to  doubt  that,"  I  an- 
swered. "  I  should  be  in  utter  despair  if  I  thought  your 
Highness  imagined  the  hereditary  prince  had  anything  to  do 
with  this  unfortunate  affair."  "  I  do  not  think  he  has,"  the 
Margrave  said, "  but  my  son  would  have  done  better  to  have 
himself  informed  me  of  all  that  occurred.  I  also  quite  think 
that  Munichow  represented  it  all  to  him  in  a  different  light." 

"  I  quite  agree,"  I  answered ;  "  but  may  I  venture  to  make 
one  more  remark  ?"  "  Yon  can  say  everything  you  wish,"  he 
replied.  "  Well,  then,  will  your  Highness  let  mercy  gain  the 
day,  and  will  you  set  Munichow  free  to-morrow  ?  Let  his  arrest 
be  sufficient  satisfaction  for  his  fault.  The  hereditary  prince 
will  dismiss  him  at  once.  Munichow  is  my  brother's  great  fa- 
vorite, and  the  crown  prince  is  bound  to  his  family  by  many 
ties  of  gratitude.  My  brother  would,  I  know,  be  everlastingly 
grateful  to  your  Highness  if  he  knew  that  you  had  given  Mu- 
nichow his  liberty  on  account  of  the  services  rendered  to  him." 
My  father-in-law  interrupted  me  here  by  saying,  "  I  beg  your 
Royal  Highness  not  to  continue  this  conversation,  and  to  say 
nothing  more  on  the  subject.  I  am  the  best  judge  of  my  own 
actions,  and  have  the  honor  to  wish  you  a  very  good-night." 
With  these  words  the  Margrave  turned  on  his  heel,  leaving  me 
standing  dumb  with  surprise. 

My  husband  found  me  quite  upset  by  the  interview.  We 
both  expected  the  worst.  The  hereditary  prince  was  greatly 
irritated  with  his  father,  and  I  was  not  less  so.  The  Margrave 
was  certainly  justified  in  resenting  Miinichow's  conduct;  still, 
he  ought  to  have  behaved  differently.  He  ought  to  have  spo- 
ken to  his  son  about  it,  arrested  Munichow,  and  then  granted 


MEMOIRS    OP   TltR    MARGRAVINE    OP    BA1REUTH.         343 

my  request  for  his  freedom.  The  falseness  with  which  the 
Margrave  behaved  was  unpardonable,  and  only  proved  the  real 
state  of  his  feelings  towards  us,  which  were  certainly  not  those 
of  friendship.  Miinichow  was  tried  publicly.  He  emphatically 
denied  having  ill-used  his  recruit,  and  equally  denied  ever  hav- 
ing heard  the  man  was  a  priest,  as  he  had  never  worn  the 
priest's  habit.  Miinichow  was  cross-questioned  several  times, 
bat  without  any  further  information  being  obtained  from  him. 
Flora  had  been  able  to  obtain  nothing  from  the  Margrave,  and 
I  therefore  determined  to  give  out  that  I  was  ill,  and  took  to 
my  bed.  Everything  was  tried  to  move  my  father-in-law.  He 
was  told  I  was  ill  from  the  sorrow  and  trouble  this  occurrence 
had  caused.  He  merely  laughed  when  he  heard  it. 

Up  till  now  I  had  endeavored  by  gentleness  to  bring  the 
matter  to  a  favorable  issue.  Hearing,  however,  that  Miinichow 
was  strictly  guarded  and  treated  like  a  criminal,  I  thought  the 
time  had  arrived  for  energetic  measures.  I  therefore  sent  for 
Baron  Stein,  and  explained  to  him  what  disastrous  results  the 
Margrave's  behavior  would  have  should  he  deal  violently  with 
Munichow.  I  gave  him  such  a  wholesome  fear  of  the  king 
and  his  anger  that  he  promised  to  do  all  he  could  to  pacify 
the  Margrave.  Terribly  frightened  by  what  I  had  told  him,  he 
rushed  to  his  master,  and  put  him  into  such  a  state  of  terror 
that  he  at  once  set  Munichow  free. 

My  father-in-law  desired  Baron  Stein  to  tell  me  that  he  did 
not  insist  on  Miinichow's  dismissal,  but  that  on  the  contrary 
he  would  treat  him  civilly.  He  implored  me  to  make  his  peace 
with  the  king.  I  thanked  the  Margrave  for  the  consideration 
he  had  shown  me  in  granting  my  request,  and  assured  him  my 
husband  would  at  once  order  Munichow  to  rejoin  his  regiment. 
My  husband,  I  said,  did  not  wish  to  have  people  about  him 
that  had  the  misfortune  to  offend  his  father.  I  promised  to 
explain  the  whole  affair  to  the  king,  and  felt  sure  that  all  would 
soon  be  forgotten.  My  father-in-law  did  not  seem  delighted 
with  the  part  I  had  played.  However,  Miinichow  took  his  de- 


344        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

parturc,  and  peace  was  re-established.  The  hereditary  prince 
was  fortunate  enough  to  induce  the  king  to  let  the  priest  go. 
My  father-in-law,  therefore,  received  every  satisfaction  he  could 
expect. 

I  had  scarcely  begun  to  breathe  again,  when  new  troubles 
overtook  me.  These  were  caused  by  a  letter  from  the  king,  in 
which  he  informed  me  that,  being  bound  by  treaty  to  assist 
the  emperor  with  ten  thousand  men,  he  intended  to  take  the 
field  himself,  and  join  the  army  on  the  Rhine.  He  counted  on 
my  husband's  accompanying  him,  and  wished  me  to  speak 
with  the  Margrave  about  it  and  obtain  his  consent. 

My  husband  was  burning  to  take  part  in  the  campaign,  and 
as  lie  had  the  king's  support  he  did  not  despair  of  gaining  his 
father's  leave.  I,  on  the  other  hand,  was  much  opposed  to  the 
plan.  I  knew  my  husband's  ambition  to  distinguish  himself. 
He  loved  soldiering  passionately,  and  I  was  fearful  of  his  ex- 
posing himself  unnecessarily,  and  of* some  misfortune  happen- 
ing to  him.  He  was  my  most  precious  earthly  treasure :  we 
were  one  heart  and  one  soul.  Never  were  two  people  so 
closely  bound  together  as  we  were.  Notwithstanding  my 
fears,  I  was  obliged  to  show  the  king's  letter  to  my  father- 
in-law.  I  managed,  however,  to  deceive  my  husband,  by 
speaking  first  to  the  ministers,  begging  them  to  dissuade  the 
Margrave  from  giving  his  consent.  This  gave  me  but  little 
trouble. 

My  husband  was  now  the  Margrave's  only  son.  The  minis- 
ters were  much  opposed  to  the  king's  wishes,  and  promised  to 
use  their  influence  with  the  Margrave  to  prevent  the  plan  bring 
carried  out.  Having,  therefore,  arranged  matters  to  ray  satis- 
faction, I  now  spoke  to  my  father-in-law.  He  seemed  rather  put 
out,  and  said  he  would  think  the  matter  over.  The  hereditary 
prince  moved  heaven  and  earth  to  obtain  his  father's  consent. 
Nobody,  however,  would  help  him,  and  the  Margrave  was  not 
to  be  induced  to  grant  the  permission.  All  the  country's  hopes 
were  centred  in  my  husband,  and  every  one  opposed  the  idea 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         345 

of  his  taking  part  in  the  war.  This  reply  quieted  the  king  for 
a  while,  and  laid  ray  fears  to  rest. 

I  have  not  for  some  time  mentioned  my  sister-in-law,  Prin- 
cess Charlotte.  She  was  completely  mad,  and  fit  only  to  be 
shut  up.  At  times  she  had  most  violent  paroxysms  of  rage, 
and  her  father  was  then  obliged  to  beat  her.  Nobody  could 
manage  her.  She  appeared  twice  daily  in  public,  and  was  then 
closely  watched  all  the  time.  The  Duke  of  Weimar  had  long 
wished  to  marry  her.  He  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  of 
the  Saxon  princes  of  the  time.  He  was  almost  as  mad  as  Prin- 
cess Charlotte,  so  that  they  suited  each  other  perfectly.  He 
had  a  picture  painted  of  the  Princess  by  Dobener,  and  although 
it  was  a  most  unfavorable  likeness,  he  was  enchanted  with  it. 
He  formally  proposed  to  the  Margrave  for  Princess  Charlotte's 
hand,  and  made  only  one  condition,  viz.,  that  the  matter 
should  not  be  talked  of  tilHie  himself  came  to  Baireuth.  The 
Margrave  at  once  consented,  as  can  easily  be  understood,  and 
the  preparations  for  the  wedding  were  taken  in  hand. 

Princess  Wilhelmine,  who  had  not  been  able  to  make  up  her 
mind  to  go  to  Denmark,  had  meanwhile  married  the  Prince  of 
East  Friesland.  But  to  return  to  the  Duke  of  Weimar.  He 
came,  like  Nicodemus,  by  night,  and  announced  his  arrival  only 
a  few  hours  before  he  made  his  appearance.  He  also  gave 
notice  of  the  Duke  of  Coburg's  visit,  which  annoyed  us  a  good 
deal.  lie  was  the  Duke  of  Weimar's  next  heir,  and  we  feared 
he  came  to  Baireuth  in  order  to  prevent  the  marriage.  Both 
dukes  arrived  the  same  evening.  As  my  father-in-law  hated 
guests,  as  well  as  society  of  any  kind,  he  desired  me  to  do  the 
honors,  and  instructed  his  Court  to  take  all  orders  from  me. 
The  royal  dukes  were  at  once  brought  to  me.  The  Duke  of 
Weimar  was  small  and  very  thin.  He  was  most  civil  and  cour- 
teous, and  I  could  then  discover  nothing  singular  about  him. 
He  took  a  great  deal  of  notice  of  Princess  Charlotte,  who  was 
as  beautiful  as  an  angel.  The  Duke  of  Coburg  was  tall  and 
well-proportioned ;  he  was  very  clever,  and  full  of  good-sense. 


346        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

He  deserved  the  respect  of  everybody  for  his  many  great  quali- 
ties of  heart  and  mind. 

Next  day  the  Duke  of  Weimar  showed  himself  in  his  true 
light.  He  conversed  with  me  for  two  hours,  telling  me  such 
barefaced  lies  as  he  could  only  have  learned  in  the  "  devil's 
school."  He  never  sent  any  message  to  the  Margrave,  which 
greatly  disquieted  my  father-in-law,  who  entreated  me  for  God's 
sake  to  get  the  marriage  settled.  "  I  do  not  wish  to  expose 
myself  to  a  refusal  from  the  Duke  of  Weimar,"  he  said  to  me ; 
"  your  Royal  Highness  alone  can  settle  this  matter.  I  should  be 
in  despair  if  the  marriage  were  broken  off.  The  honor  of  my 
house  and  family  would  suffer  from  such  a  misfortune ;  and  it 
might,  besides,  have  disastrous  results." 

I  gave  in  to  the  Margrave's  entreaties,  but  found  myself  in  a 
great  difficulty,  as  I  did  not  in  the  least  know  how  to  induce 
the  duke  to  declare  himself. 

The  Duke  of  Coburg,  however,  came  to  my  assistance.  He 
asked  the  hereditary  prince  and  myself  for  a  private  interview, 
in  which  he  told  us  that  he  was  quite  aware  that  we  considered 
him  heir  presumptive  to  the  Duke  of  Weimar,  and  therefore 
mistrusted  his  intentions  in  coming  to  Baireuth.  That  he  had 
come  solely  to  help  on  the  marriage,  for  the  Duke  of  Weimar  was 
subject  to  fits  of  bad  temper,  was  extremely  stupid,  and  changed 
his  mind  at  least  twenty  times  a  day,  so  that  we  should  never 
arrive  at  a  solution  of  the  question  in  the  ordinary  way.  He  ad- 
vised me  to  joke  with  the  Duke  of  Weimar  about  the  marriage, 
and  get  him  to  declare  himself,  and  then  immediately  announce 
the  betrothal.  The  Duke  of  Coburg  said  he  would  support  me  in 
every  way  in  his  power;  for  the  princess  pleased  him,  and  he  was 
sure  that  if  I  would  do  as  he  suggested  the  engagement  would 
be  settled  that  very  evening.  My  husband  and  I  were  most  grate- 
ful to  him.  The  Duke  of  Coburg  instructed  me  in  my  part,  and 
lugged  the  hereditary  prince  not  to  interfere,  for  he  added, "  The 
I  >uk<!  of  Weimar  is  fond  of  ladies,  and  her  Royal  Highness  will 
!><•  ,-il>le  to  make  him  jump  over  the  stick  if  she  likes." 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAtREUTH.        347 

The  Margrave  was  now  informed  of  all  that  had  been  settled. 
I  asked  him  to  be  in  readiness  to  come  to  me  as  soon  as  I  gave 
him  a  sign,  so  that  he  might  be  a  witness  of  the  engagement 

In  the  afternoon  I  at  once  began  to  "  shuffle  my  cards."  I 
collected  a  band  composed  of  every  imaginable  instrument — of 
trumpets,  drums,  fifes,  bagpipes,  horns,  and  what  not  besides — 
and  the  noise  they  made  was  almost  deafening.  The  Duke  of 
Weimar  soon  fell  a  prey  to  the  influence  of  such  sounds.  He 
sprung  from  his  chair,  himself  played  the  drum,  danced,  jumped 
about  the  room,  and  behaved  in  the  most  ridiculous  manner. 
After  dinner  I  led  him  to  my  room,  accompanied  by  the  Duke 
of  Coburg,  Princess  Charlotte,  and  my  ladies.  I  talked  to  him 
about  the  campaign  on  the  Rhine,  and  said  I  thought  it  so 
wrong  of  the  emperor  not  to  have  appointed  him  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  army.  He  answered  me  by  making  the  most  ex- 
travagant remarks,  and  ended  by  saying  he  would  join  the  army, 
and  he  had  everything  in  readiness.  I  replied,  "  I  cannot  ap- 
prove of  your  intention.  A  prince  like  yourself  should  not  be 
allowed  to  expose  himself.  You  have  great  expectations,  and 
may  yet  become  Elector  of  Saxony.  It  would  not  matter  how 
many  other  princes  were  sacrificed,  as  long  as  you  yourself  are 
spared."  "  That  is  true,"  the  duke  answered,  "  but  I  am  born 
to  be  a  soldier."  I  now  interrupted  him  by  saying,  "  I  know  a 
means  by  which  all  could  be  combined.  You  must  marry  and 
soon  have  a  son,  and  then  you  may  take  the  field  whenever  you 
choose." 

"  H'm  !"  he  replied,  "  as  regards  women,  there  are  enough  of 
those.  I  may  see  a  hundred  of  them  before  I  find  one  who 
pleases  me.  At  Hof  three  princesses  and  two  countesses  arc 
sitting  waiting  for  me  ;  but  I  like  none  of  them,  and  shall  send 
them  all  away  again.  Your  royal  father  was  good  enough  to 
propose  yourself  to  me,  and  it  only  required  my  consent  to 
have  married  you.  I  did  not  know  you,  so  I  declined  the  offer 
with  thanks.  I  am  now  in  despair  that  I  did  so.  I  worship 
you,  and  am  desperately  in  love  with  you !"  "  I  am  indeed 


348        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

distressed!"  I  exclaimed;  "you  have  insulted  me  by  declining 
rny  hand !  This  is  news  indeed  to  me,  and  I  am  determined  at 
whatever  cost  to  have  satisfaction  for  it !"  I  acted  as  if  I  were 
beside  myself.  The  hereditary  prince  and  my  ladies  with  diffi- 
culty restrained  their  laughter.  At  last  the  duke  fell  trembling 
at  my  feet,  uttering  protestations  of  love  and  devotion,  and  as- 
suring me  of  his  readiness  to  give  me  every  satisfaction  I  de- 
manded of  him.  "  Well,  then,"  I  cried,  "  nothing  will  satisfy 
me  but  your  marrying  one  of  my  relations.  Will  you  do  so  ?" 
"  With  all  my  heart,"  the  duke  answered ;  "  propose  to  me 
whom  yon  like,  and  may  the  thunder  fall  on  me  if  I  do  not 
marry  her  at  once."  "I  shall  not  require  much  time  to  find 
you  a  wife,"  I  replied;  "for  here  is  some  one  who  is  far  more 
beautiful  and  amiable  than  I  am,  and  you  will  only  gain  by  the 
exchange."  With  these  words  I  took  my  sister-in-law  by  the 
hand  and  presented  her  to  the  duke.  He  wished  to  embrace 
her,  but  she  pushed  him  from  her,  and,  as  she  did  so,  the  duke 
exclaimed,  "  Dear  me,  she  is  proud-  indeed !  but  she  pleases  me, 
and  I  am  more  than  satisfied." 

I  now  sent  in  hot  haste  for  the  Margrave,  and  told  him  that 
as  soon  as  he  came  the  rings  should  be  exchanged.  He  ap- 
peared a  few  moments  later,  and  I  at  once  told  him  that  I  had 
been  bold  enough  to  arrange  a  marriage,  and  that  all  that  was 
now  required  was  his  consent  to  it.  The  Duke  of  Weimar  had 
so  risen  in  my  estimation  that  I  had  given  him  my  word  of 
honor  that  he  should  obtain  Princess  Charlotte  in  marriage, 

CT      ' 

and  I  hoped  he  would  approve  of  the  match.  Instead  of  an- 
swering me  the  Margrave  stood  there  with  open  mouth,  and 
laughingly  asked  the  duke  how  he  felt?  I  thought  the  Duke 
of  Coburg,  my  husband,  and  I  should  have  died  of  surprise  and 
disgust;  for  our  fool  of  a  duke  now  began  a  long  conversation 
with  the  Margrave,  and  seemed  to  have  forgotten  all  about  his 
betrothal.  We  were  obliged  to  begin  our  manoeuvres  afresh. 
At  last  we  pressed  the  Margrave  so  hard  that  he  obtained  a 
satisfactory  declaration  from  the  duke,  and  the  engagement 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         349 

was  settled.  The  cannon  were  fired,  and  the  whole  Court  and 
the  ladies  from  the  town  came  to  my  room  to  offer  their  con- 
gratulations. After  this  we  all  went  to  dinner,  and  in  the 
evening  there  was  a  ball.  I  retired  to  my  room  as  soon  as  I 
had  danced  with  the  Duke  of  Weimar.  I  was  dead  tired,  and 
my  throat  was  quite  sore  from  having  had  to  speak  so  much. 

Next  morning  M.  von  Comartin,  who  was  in  attendance  on 
the  Duke  of  Weimar,  asked  to  see  me.  He  began  by  making 
many  excuses  in  having  to  bring  me  an  unpleasant  message. 
The  duke  was  like  one  bereft  of  his  senses,  insisted  on  leaving 
instantly,  and  wished  me  to  be  informed  that  he  did  not  want 
to  marry.  He  said  he  wished  to  remain  unmarried,  and  that 
all  that  had  taken  place  yesterday  had  only  been  a  joke.  Co- 
martin  advised  me  to  treat  the  whole  matter  with  a  very  high 
hand,  and  to  behave  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  perfect  indiffer- 
ence to  me.  I  "answered  M.  von  Comartin  that  I  did  not  need 
this  advice ;  that  he  should  tell  the  duke  from  me  that  I 
thought  I  had  conferred  a  great  honor  on  him  by  arranging 
this  marriage,  but  that  I  did  not  in  the  least  care  for  his  rela- 
tionship, and  should  be  delighted  if  he  took  his  departure  as 
soon  as  possible.  "  Tell  him  also  in  my  name,"  the  hereditary 
prince  added,  "  that  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  show  him  my  satis- 
faction at  his  behavior." 

I  informed  the  Margrave  of  what  had  happened,  but  begged 
him  to  pretend  to  know  nothing  of  it,  as  I  still  hoped  to  ar- 
range matters.  I  was  not  disappointed  in  this.  Comartin 
came  soon  afterwards  to  see  me  again,  to  offer  me  his  master's 
apologies,  and  beg  me  to  reconcile-  him  with  my  husband.  The 
duke  now  appeared  himself.  I  pretended  for  a  long  time  to 
be  very  angry,  but  at  last  softened  my  manner  towards  him, 
and  my  husband's  wrath  also  gave  way.  We  settled  that  the 
wedding  should  take  place  next  day,  the  7th  of  April. 

I  dressed  the  princess  in  my  own  room.  She  wore  a  white 
robe,  and  on  her  head  was  a  ducal  crown  made  of  my  own  dia- 
monds. Till  this  moment  all  had  gone  well,  and  my  sister-in- 


350        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGRAVINE    OF    BAIKEUTII. 

law  bad  remained  quiet  and  composed.  As  I  was,  however,  on 
the  point  of  placing  the  crown  on  her  head  she  sprang  from 
her  chair,  and  rushed  screaming  and  crying  from  one  room  to 
the  other.  She  knelt  in  turn  before  each  chair,  as  if  to  pray. 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  had  most  power  over  her, 
asked  her  what  was  the  matter.  The  princess  answered  that 
people  wanted  to  murder  her,  and  that  she  was  surrounded  by 
enemies  wishing  to  kill  her.  After  some  time  we  at  last  dis- 
covered the  cause  of  her  terror.  She  had  seen  her  brother's 
coffin,  and  the  same  crown  she  was  now  going  to  wear  had 
lain  on  a  cushion  near  it.  We  had  the  greatest  trouble  in  the 
world  in  pacifying  her. 

She  looked  most  beautiful.  As  soon  as  she  was  ready 
dressed  the  Margrave  and  the  two  dukes  came  to  fetch  her. 
We  led  her  first  to  the  audience-chamber,  where  the  deed  of 
renunciation  was  signed.  The  religious  service  was  then  per- 
formed, after  which  there  was  a  great  banquet,  followed  by  the 
"  Fackeltanz."  *  AVlien  all  was  over  I  accompanied  the  bride  to 
her  room  to  help  her  undress.  My  husband  did  the  same  with 
the  duke.  The  duke  behaved  in  the  strangest  manner,  and 
kept  us  all  up  till  four  in  the  morning. 

The  late  hours  and  the  many  fatigues  had  done  my  health 
great  harm,  and  in  spite  of  every  possible  remedy  I  suffered 
incessantly  and  most  cruelly. 

Next  day  we  had  fresh  troubles.  The  duke  complained  of 
his  wife,  and  continued  to  do  so  all  the  rest  of  the  time  they 
were  at  Baireuth.  I  would  not  interfere  in  their  quarrels,  and 
left  my  husband  to  settle  them.  At  last,  to  our  great  relief, 
the  newly  married  pair  left  on  the  14th  of  April.  I  think  we 
should  all  have  gone  mad  had  they  remained  any  longer.  As 
the  duchess  had  no  ladies  of  her  own,  I  was  very  glad  of  the 
excuse  of  letting  Mademoiselle  Flora  von  Sonnsfeld  go  with 
her,  and  gave  her  six  weeks'  leave.  The  hereditary  prince  ac- 

*  A  polonaise  danced  with  torches. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGKAVINE    OF   BAIUEUT1I.        351 

companied  bis  sister  as  far  as  Cobtirg,  where  he  remained  only 
a  few  days.  The  Margrave  went  to  Iliinmelscron,  and  the  he- 
reditary prince  and  I  went  later  to  the  llermitage.  I  there 
received  a  letter  from  the  queen,  which  surprised  me  not  a  lit- 
tle. She  informed  me  that  my  youngest  sister,  Sophie,  was 
engaged  to  be  married  to  the  same  Margrave  of  Schwedt  who 
had  formerly  been  my  destined  husband.  She  praised  the  prince 
in  a  most  strange  way,  and  said  she  would  never  have  opposed 
him  so  much  at  that  time  had  she  known  him  better.  I  mar- 
velled at  the  changeableness  of  all  earthly  things,  particularly 
of  the  human  heart.  The  Margrave  of  Schwedt  had  known 
how  to  win  the  queen  over  to  his  side  by  reporting  everything 
to  her  that  happened,  till  she  at  last  consented  to  the  marriage. 
But  no  sooner  was  the  engagement  declared  than  he  let  fall 
the  mask  and  showed  himself  in  his  true  colors.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  I  received  another  letter  from  my  mother  by 
the  following  post,  containing  accounts  of  all  the  Margrave's 
villanies.  This  marriage  made  me  quite  wretched,  for  I  loved 
my  sister  dearly.  She  was  not  beautiful,  but  her  noble  charac- 
ter, gentleness,  and  a  thousand  other  good  qualities  more  than 
counterbalanced  that  deficiency.  She  knew  how  to  manage 
her  husband  so  cleverly  that  he  treated  her  like  a  lamb.  Nev- 
ertheless, she  was  not  able  to  cure  him  of  his  faults,  and  he  re- 
mained what  he  had  ever  been.  They  were,  however,  very  hap- 
py together  in  spite  of  everything,  and  he  behaved  like  an  angel 
to  his  wife. 

My  fears  that  my  husband  would,  after  all,  join  the  army  on 
the  Rhine  began  afresh.  He  tried  secretly  to  obtain  the  Mar- 
grave's consent;  I,  on  the  other  hand,  did  my  utmost  to  pre- 
vent his  doing  so.  In  this  way  we  cheated  each  other.  I  re- 
ceived a  second  letter  from  the  king  on  the  subject  which 
annoyed  me  terribly.  Its  contents  were  as  follows  : 

"  MY  DEAR  DAUGHTER, — I  leave  in  six  weeks  for  the  Rhine. 
My  son  and  my  cousins  accompany  me,  my  son-in-law  should 


352        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

also  do  so.  Is  he  to  remain  planting  cabbages  at  Baircuth 
while  all  other  princes  of  the  empire  take  part  in  the  war? 
He  will  appear  like  an  arrant  coward  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
world.  The  Margrave's  reasons  against  his  going  are  all  ground- 
less. You  must  force  him  to  consent;  he  insults  his  son  if  he 
prevents  his  taking  part  in  the  campaign.  Let  me  have  an 
early  answer,  and  believe  me,"  etc. 

Oh,  heavens!  I  can  never  describe  what  I  felt  while  read- 
ing this  letter!  I  burst  into  tears.  The  hereditary  prince 
spoke  very  seriously  with  me  about  it,  and  said  that  his  father's 
continual  opposition  to  his  serving  in  the  war  would  force  him 
to  do  so  without  his  consent.  I  answered  my  husband  that 
all  he  could  expect  of  me  was  that  I  should  not  oppose  his 
wishes,  but  that  I  could  not  be  asked  to  try  and  induce  his 
father  to  let  him  go.  I  sent  the  king's  letter  to  the  Margrave. 
He  asked  me  to  return  to  Baireuth,  where  there  were  many 
important  things  to  be  discussed  with  me,  and  where  he  intend- 
ed summoning  a  Council  of  State.  I  accordingly  returned  to 
Baireuth  on  the  14th  of  June.  The  Margrave  showed  me  a 
letter  from  the  king,  written  much  in  the  same  strain  as  that 
which  I  had  received,  and  also  one  from  Count  von  Seckendorf. 
He  implored  the  Margrave,  for  God's  sake,  to  give  in  to  the 
king's  wishes,  as  his  opposition  would  cause  him  only  endless 
disagreeables.  The  campaign  would  anyhow  not  last  long, 
on  account  of  the  season  of  the  year  being  far  advanced.  He 
hoped  to  send  the  prince  back  to  him  before  the  end  of. the 
year  well  and  strong,  and  crowned  with  honors.  My  father- 
in-law  asked  me  what  I  thought  of  all  this.  I  answered  that  I 
left  the  whole  matter  in  his  hands.  He  was  the  father,  and  I 
was  sure  he  would  consider  all  sides  of  the  case  before  he  came 
to  a  final  decision.  The  Margrave  seemed  very  uneasy.  The 
whole  country  was,  in  fact,  opposed  to  the  hereditary  prince 
1  ;iking  part  in  the  war.  People  said  openly  that  should  the 
Margrave  let  his  son  go  it  would  be  a  proof  that  he  did  not 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGKAV1NE    OF   BAIREUTII.        353 

care  for  him.  My  father-in-law  therefore  answered  the  king 
that  his  proposition  was  so  serious  and  grave  that  he  must 
take  it  into  earnest  consideration.  My  husband  was  terribly 
put  out  by  his  father's  want  of  decision,  and  urged  him  daily 
to  grant  his  request. 

The  king  had  meanwhile  left  to  join  the  army.  My  brother 
and  all  the  princes  followed  him  a  few  days  later.  The  king 
had  gone  by  way  of  Cleves,  but  my  brother  wrote  me  word  he 
should  pass  through  Baireuth.  As  the  king  had,  however, 
strictly  forbidden  him  to  stop  there,  he  begged  me  to  meet  him 
on  the  2d  of  July  at  Berneck,  two  miles  from  Baireuth,  where 
he  should  make  a  halt  of  an  hour.  I  took  good  care  not  to 
lose  this  opportunity  of  seeing  my  beloved  brother,  and  started 
quite  early  in  the  morning  for  Berneck,  accompanied  by  my 
governess,  M.  von  Voit,  and  M.  von  Seckendorf.  My  husband, 
attended  by  my  Chamberlain  and  Baron  Stein,  followed  us,  to 
welcome  the  crown  prince  in  the  Margrave's  name.  We  ar- 
rived at  ten  o'clock  at  Berneck.  The  heat  was  intense,  and  I 
was  very  tired  with  the  journey.  I  waited  in  the  house  pre- 
pared for  my  brother's  reception  till  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. A  fearful  thunder-storm  came  on.  I  never  witnessed 
one  more  terrible.  The  thunder  resounded  among  the  rocks 
which  surround  Berneck  till  the  world  seemed  approaching  its 
end.  A  perfect  deluge  of  rain  followed  on  the  thunder.  It 
struck  four  o'clock,  and  yet  my  brother  never  came.  I  could 
not  understand  what  had  happened  to  him,  while  the  different 
people  I  had  sent  on  horseback  to  look  for  him  did  not  return 
either.  At  last,  in  spite  of  all  my  entreaties,  my  husband 
started  off  in  quest  of  my  brother. 

I  waited  till  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  in  this  painful  state 
of  anxiety,  and  no  one  appeared.  My  fears  grew  greater  each 
moment.  These  tremendous  rains  are  very  dangerous  in  mount- 
ainous districts,  and  are  often  the  cause  of  fatal  accidents.  I 
was  therefore  persuaded  that  some  misfortune  had  happened  to 
both  the  crown  prince  and  the  hereditary  prince.  At  length  I 
23 


354        MEMOJUS    OF   THE    MAKGKAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

heard  that  my  brother  had  changed  his  route,  and  had  gone  to 
Culnibach,  where  he  intended  spending  the  night,  and  I  wished 
to  join  him  there.  Culmbach  is  four  miles*  from  Berneck, 
and  the  road  leading  there  is  very  bad  and  almost  dangerous, 
being  very  precipitous.  Everybody  was  opposed  to  my  going 
there,  and  whether  I  wished  it  or  not,  I  was  put  into  the  car- 
riage and  taken  back  to  Himmelscron.  We  had  a  narrow 
escape  of  being  drowned  on  the  way.  The  streams  were  so 
swollen  by  the  rain  that  the  horses  had  to  swim  through  them. 

At  length  I  reached  Himmelscron  at  midnight.  Half  dead 
from  fear  and  fatigue,  I  threw  myself  on  my  bed.  I  was 
haunted  by  the  dread  that  some  accident  must  have  happened 
to  my  brother  and  my  husband.  The  hereditary  prince  ar- 
rived at  four  o'clock,  without,  however,  bringing  me  any  tid- 
ings of  my  brother.  Somewhat  pacified  by  my  husband's 
return  I  fell  asleep,  but  was  -awakened  almost  directly  by  a 
message  that  M.  von  Knobelsdorf  wished  to  speak  to  me,  hav- 
ing been  sent  by  my  brother.  I  jumped  up  at  once  from  my 
bed  and  rushed  to  meet  him.  He  informed  me  that  my  broth- 
er had  only  expected  me  next  day,  and  had  therefore  stopped 
to  rest  at  Ilof.  If  I  liked,  he  would  meet  me  at  some  spot  near 
Baireuth,  which  he  would  reach  at  eight  o'clock,  and  remain 
there  a  few  hours  to  see  me.  No  time  was  therefore  left  for 
sleep.  I  ordered  my  carriage  and  started  to  join  the  crown 
prince. 

My  brother  overwhelmed  me  with  affection.  He  found  me 
in  a  deplorable  condition,  and  so  altered  he  could  hardly  help 
crying.  I  could  scarcely  stand  I  was  so  weak,  and  fainted 
constantly.  He  told  me  that  the  king  was  greatly  irritated 
against  the  Margrave  because  lie  would  not  allow  his  son  to 
take  part  in  the  campaign.  I  explained  all  my  father-in-law's 
reasons  to  my  brother,  and  defended  his  actions  in  the  matter. 
"  Very  well,  then,"  the  prince  replied,  "  your  husband  must 

*  Eight  English  miles. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.        355 

leave  the  army,  and  give  up  the  command  of  his  regiment  to 
the  king.  At  the  same  time,  you  need  have  been  in  no  anx- 
iety, for  I  know  from  reliable  sources  that  no  blood  will  be 
shed."  "Yet  for  all  that,"  I  added,  "preparations  are  being 
made  to  lay  siege  to  Philippsburg."  "  That  is  true,"  he  an- 
swered, "but  no  battle  will  be  fought  there."  While  we  were 
talking  my  husband  joined  us,  and  entreated  my  brother  to 
help  him  to  get  away  from  Baireuth.  They  both  stood  talking 
together  for  some  time.  My  brother  told  me  afterwards  that 
he  would  write  the  Margrave  a  very  civil  letter,  and  place  the 
matter  in  such  a  light  before  him  that  it  could  not  fail  to  have 
good  results.  "  We  will  remain  together,"  he  added,  turning 
to  my  husband ;  "  nothing  will  make  me  happier  than  to  have 
my  dear  brother  always  about  me."  The  crown  prince  wrote 
his  letter,  and  gave  it  to  Baron  Stein  to  deliver  to  the  Mar- 
grave, after  which  we  took  a  tender  farewell  of  each  other. 
My  brother  promised  me  to  obtain  the  king's  leave  to  pay  me 
a  visit  at  Baireuth  on  his  return.  This  was  the  last  time  I  saw 
him  in  the  same  intimate  way  as  of  old.  He  changed  greatly 
afterwards. 

We  returned  to  Baireuth,  and  I  was  for  three  days  after- 
wards so  ill  that  my  life  was  almost  despaired  of.  I  recovered, 
however,  for  a  time,  but  the  low  fever  I  suffered  from  con- 
tinued worse  than  ever. 

I  have  not  mentioned  Mademoiselle  Flora  von  Sonnsfeld  for 
some  time.  She  had  returned  from  Weimar,  where  she  had 
left  the  duke  and  duchess  very  happily  and  peacefully  estab- 
lished. I  had  always  flattered  myself  that  the  Margrave's  pas- 
sion for  her  would  cool  down  during  her  absence ;  but  I  had 
reckoned  without  my  host,  for  on  her  return  he  became  more 
in  love  with  her  than  ever.  His  affection  for  her  knew  no 
bounds ;  he  spent  the  whole  day  with  his  lady-love,  preached 
moral  sermons  to  her,  and  contented  himself  by  kissing  her 
hands.  Every  day  he  put  on  a  new  coat,  and  had  his  few  re- 
maining hairs  dressed  so  as  to  appear  younger.  If  he  were 


356        MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

prevented  seeing  her,  notes  were  rained  down  upon  her,  and 
these  were  so  tender,  and  at  the  same  time  so  senseless,  that 
they  disgusted  the  reader.  He  declared  he  intended  to  marry 
her,  and  that  his  intentions  were  of  the  most  honorable  kind. 
Anyhow,  the  whole  proceeding  displeased  us  extremely.  Flora 
loved  the  Margrave  as  much  as  he  did  her,  and  I  foresaw  that 
she  would  in  the  end  give  in  to  his  wishes.  The  poor  Mar- 
grave, however,  was  doomed  to  other  sorrows  than  that  which 
his  cruel  lady-love  caused  him,  and  in  this  fresh  trouble  I  felt 
most  truly  with  him.  This  blow  was  the  death  of  the  Prince 
of  Culmbach,  the  news  of  which  was  brought  the  Margrave  by 
his  aide-de-camp.  The  Prince  of  Culmbach  fell  on  the  29th  of 
June,  in  the  battle  of  Parma.  The  troops  were  commanded  by 
General  Merci.  The  prince  had  just  captured  a  French  battery, 
when  two  bullets  struck  him,  and  he  fell  into  a  ditch.  He  was 
carried  into  a  neighboring  hut,  where  the  surgeons  that  attended 
him  told  him  he  had  but  a  few  hours  to  live.  "  I  have  the  sat- 
isfaction of  dying  as  I  always  wished  to  die,  and  shall  be  quite 
contented  if  we  are  victorious."  These  were  his  last  words, 
for  he  lost  consciousness  and  died  soon  afterwards.  The  Mar- 
shal Merci  and  fifteen  officers  of  high  rank  were  killed  in  this 
battle.  The  French  remained  in  possession  of  the  battle-field, 
and  the  victory  must  be  allowed  to  have  been  theirs,  for  the 
losses  sustained  by  the  Austrians  were  enormous. 

The  hereditary  prince  and  myself  felt  the  prince's  death  most 
keenly.  It  cost  me  many  bitter  tears,  for  I  lost  a  most  true 
friend,  and  a  prince  who  had  been  the  pride  of  our  family. 
His  body  was  brought  secretly  to  Baireuth. 

The  crown  prince's  letter  to  the  Margrave  had  meanwhile 
borne  fruit,  and  preparations  were  being  hurried  forward  for 
my  husband's  departure.  I  had  sunk  into  the  deepest  melan- 
choly. The  Prince  of  Culmbach's  death  had  made  such  an 
impression  on  me  that  I  felt  sure  that  a  similar  fate  would 
overtake  the  hereditary  prince.  My  bad  state  of  health  com- 
forted me,  for  I  hoped  that  should  he  be  killed  I  should  not 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BATREUTH.        357 

survive  him  long.  Up  to  this  time  the  doctors  had  bled  me 
eight  times  in  the  space  of  ten  months.  They  did  not  recog- 
nize the  disease  I  was  suffering  from,  and  thought  my  ill  health 
was  the  result  of  being  too  full-blooded.  They  also  gave  me 
very  strong  remedies,  which  for  a  time  afforded  me  relief. 
They  now  wished  to  try  another  treatment,  and  recommended 
a  course  of  waters.  In  order  to  carry  this  out  we  went  with 
the  Margrave  to  the  Brandenburger  baths.  The  waters  were, 
however,  too  strong  for  me  in  my  weakened  state,  and  after 
three  days  I  was  obliged  to  give  up  taking  them. 

About  this  time  the  Prince  of  Culmbach's  body  reached  Bai- 
reuth.  As  the  preparations  for  his  funeral,  which  was  to  be 
solemnized  with  great  pornp  and  ceremony,  were  not  yet  com- 
pleted, the  coffin  was  placed  in  the  chapel. 

The  Margrave  was  terribly  affected  by  the  prince's  death, 
and  seemed  to  fail  rapidly.  The  doctors  declared  his  condition 
was  most  serious,  and  that  his  recovery  could  not  be  hoped  for 
unless  he  gave  up  drinking  so  much.  He  was,  however,  so  ac- 
customed to  this  habit  that  it  was  most  difficult  for  him  to 
renounce  it. 

The  terrible  day  of  the  hereditary  prince's  departure  at  last 
drew  near.  It  was  the  17th  of  August.  Only  those  who  loved 
as  passionately  as  I  did  can  understand  what  I  suffered.  A 
thousand  deaths  cannot  be  compared  to  my  sorrow.  My  pow- 
ers of  imagination  were  so  excited  that  I  felt  convinced  I  should 
never  see  my  husband  again.  He  tore  himself  from  me,  and 
was  so  upset  at  my  condition  that  he  did  not  seem  conscious 
of  anything,  and  was  led  in  this  state  to  his  carriage.  I  re- 
mained behind  overwhelmed  with  grief.  My  condition  would 
have  touched  even  the  most  hard-hearted  of  beings.  I  re- 
mained like  this  for  four  days,  after  which  I  endeavored  to 
control  my  sorrow  and  to  appear  outwardly  calm.  I  have  not 
hitherto  mentioned  the  campaign  on  the  Rhine,  so  as  not  to 
interrupt  my  narrative.  I  will  therefore  now  mention  the  most 
important  facts  connected  with  it. 


358        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

The  Duke  of  Bevern,  who  had  last  year  been  appointed  to 
the  command  of  the  Imperial  army,  consisting  of  20,000  men, 
had  till  now  remained  on  the  defensive.  He  had  been  unable 
to  prevent  the  French  army,  under  the  Duke  of  Berwick,  from 
crossing  the  Rhine.  Prince  Eugene,  of  Savoy,  took  over  the 
Duke  of  Bevern's  command.  On  his  arrival  he  expressed  grent 
dissatisfaction  at  the  positions  taken  up  by  the  duke,  and  im- 
mediately moved  the  troops  from  Stockhofen.  The  French 
pursued  the  Imperial  army,  but  without  being  able  to  do  it 
any  harm.  Although  France  had  not  up  to  this  moment  at- 
tacked the  empire,  the  princes  had  imprudently  mixed  them- 
selves up  in  this  war  by  offering  their  contingents  to  the  em- 
peror. Six  thousand  Danes,  ten  thousand  Prussians,  and  the 
troops  of  the  empire  were  most  useful  in  extricating  Prince 
Eugene  from  a  very  precarious  position.  The  prince  was, 
however,  unable  to  prevent  the  French  taking  Kehl  and  lay- 
ing siege  to  Philippsburg.  This  latter  place  capitulated  after 
six  weeks'  determined  resistance.  Marshal  de  Berwick  and 
Prince  Lixin  were  killed  in  the  trenches.  Two  days  after  the 
•  fall  of  Philippsburg  my  husband  reached  the  army.  The  king 
had  done  everything  in  his  power  to  induce  Prince  Eugene  to 
fight  a  battle  in  order  to  relieve  the  town.  The  prince  refused 
to  do  so,  and  represented  to  the  king  that  should  he  be  beat- 
en the  whole  of  Germany  would  then  be  at  the  mercy  of  the 
French,  and  they  would  be  able  to  take  whatever  they  liked. 

The  hereditary  prince  was  most  kindly  received  by  the  king 
and  my  brother,  and  as  his  things  had  not  yet  arrived  the 
crown  prince  lent  him  a  tent.  My  husband  found  the  king 
much  altered.  His  face  was  thin  and  drawn,  and  he  had  the 
gout  in  one  hand.  He  already  carried  in  him  the  seeds  of  that 
disease  from  which  he  died.  My  father  was  not  able  to  remain 
with  the  army  during  the  whole  campaign,  but  was  obliged  to 
go  to  Cleves.  Before  he  left  he  was  most  tender  and  affection- 
ate in  his  manner  to  my  husband,  and  told  the  crown  prince  to 
stop  at  Baircuth  on  his  way  back.  The  hereditary  prince  be- 


MKMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH.        359 

came  most  popular  with  all  the  generals  and  officers.  He  did 
his  utmost  to  learn  his  duties,  and  his  moral  conduct,  his  cour- 
tesy, and  charming,  amiable  manner,  won  him  all  hearts.  It 
was  quite  a  different  thing  with  my  brother,  who  had  struck 
up  an  intimate  friendship  with  Prince  Henry,  brother  of  the 
Margrave  of  Schwedt.  This  prince  had  no  other  merit  than 
his  good  looks;  he  was  full  of  vice,  which  together  with  his 
bad  character  caused  him  to  be  held  in  contempt  by  every 
one.  He  had,  however,  managed  to  gain  great  power  over  my 
brother,  whom  he  ruined  and  entangled  in  his  own  evil  ways. 
But  this  was  not  all :  he  succeeded  in  making  the  crown  prince 
suspicious  of  all  honest,  upright  people.  Only  those  who  shared 
his  views  were  acceptable.  In  one  word,  my  brother  was  an 
altered  man.  Everybody  was  dissatisfied  with  him,  and  my  hus- 
band shared  the  same  fate  as  others  did. 

One  day  when  my  husband  had  gone  with  my  brother,  Duke 
Alexander  of  Wiirtemberg,  and  several  other  generals  to  recon- 
noitre the  enemy's  positions,  they  found  the  French  outposts  on 
tli is  side  of  the  Rhine.  The  hereditary  prince  began  to  take 
notes  and  make  sketches  of  their  positions,  and  did  not  notice 
that  my  brother  had  separated  himself  from  him.  A  young 
hussar  who  was  with  my  husband  amused  himself  by  spend- 
ing his  time  in  shooting  at  the  enemy  with  his  gun.  The 
French  at  once  answered  him,  and  the  bullets  soon  flew  round 
the  hereditary  prince's  head.  lie,  however,  never  stirred,  but 
continued  finishing  his  sketches.  He  did  not,  however,  neg- 
lect to  give  the  hussar  a  severe  reprimand  for  his  heedless- 
ness.  As  soon  as  the  prince  had  finished  his  drawings  and 
notes  he  mounted  his  horse  and  hastened  to  rejoin  my  brother. 
The  crown  prince  was  speaking  in  a  most  satirical  manner  to 
Prince  Henry  of  Schwedt  about  the  occurrence  I  have  just  men- 
tioned. The  hereditary  prince  overheard  what  was  said,  and 
described  the  circumstance  as  it  had  taken  place.  As,  however, 
he  observed  my  brother  still  continued  talking  in  whispers  to 
Prince  Henry,  looking  scornfully  at  him  meanwhile,  my  hus- 


360        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

band  said  to  him,  "  I  will  soon  teach  those  who  dare  to  calum- 
niate me  to  your  Royal  Highness  how  to  speak  the  truth,  and 
will  cure  them  of  telling  lies." 

The  crown  prince  and  Prince  Henry,  for  whom  the  remark 
was  intended,  were  at  once  silenced. 

Next  day  my  husband  had  a  splendid  opportunity  of  show- 
ing Prince  Henry  up  before  all  the  generals.  This  latter  there- 
upon pretended  to  be  ill,  and  induced  the  crown  prince,  who 
was  very  much  put  out  with  the  hereditary  prince,  to  show  him 
some  marked  civilities. 

A  few  days  after  these  events  a  messenger  arrived  in  camp 
bringing  news  of  the  king's  serious  condition.  His  illness  had 
much  increased,  and  he  had  been  unable  to  leave  Cleves.  His 
body  had  become  much  swollen ;  the  doctors  declared  him  to  be 
suffering  from  dropsy,  and  considered  his  state  one  of  great 
danger. 

I  now  returned  to  Baireuth.  As  the  funeral  of  the  Prince 
of  Culmbach  was  to  take  place  on  the  25th  of  August,  we  in- 
tended going  to  Himmelscron  in  order  to  avoid  being  present 
at  it.  Since  my  husband's  departure  I  had  observed  that  the 
Margrave's  passion  for  Flora  Sonnsfeld  had  greatly  increased. 
She  could  not  resist  .showing  her  affection  for  him  ;  and  we  re- 
marked from  various  hints  she  dropped  that  she  had  fallen  a 
prey  to  the  desire  of  becoming  Margravine.  My  father-in-law's 
health  was  failing  visibly.  His  physician,  who  was  about  the 
most  ignorant  man  in  existence,  promised  him  complete  recov- 
ery by  means  of  baths  and  waters.  These  consisted  of  pine 
cones  boiled  in  water.  The  Margrave  and  I  began  our  cure 
simultaneously.  Mercifully  some  charitable  people  warned  me 
I  should  kill  myself  if  I  used  these  pine  baths.  They  wished 
equally  to  warn  my  father-in-law ;  but  he  had  such  unbounded 
faith  in  his  doctor  that  he  continued  his  treatment,  and  con- 
stantly fainted  while  taking  the  baths.  The  Margrave  was 
much  occupied  with  the  restoration  of  Himmelscron.  Work- 
men were  employed  night  and  day  redecorating  the  rooms  with 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTIT.         301 

looking-glasses  and  rich  gilt  mouldings.  My  father-in-law  also 
intended  laying  out  a  beautiful  garden  there,  and  building  a 
riding-school. 

From  all  these  preparations  I  gathered  that  he  was  intending 
to  marry,  and  to  establish  himself  entirely  at  Himmelscron. 
Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  encouraged  me  in  this  belief,  and 
warned  me  to  be  on  my  guard.  This  young  lady  was  very 
clever,  and  I  could  rely  on  her  discretion,  and  grew  daily  more 
attached  to  her.  As  she  was  always  on  the  alert,  she  soon 
found  out  that  many  people  were  mixed  up  in  this  intrigue, 
among  others  M.  von  Hesberg,  who  had  been  Prince  William's 
governor.  I  had  always  known  him  to  be  a  most  upright  and 
honorable  gentleman,  and  therefore  had  no  hesitation  in  seek- 
ing an  explanation  from  him.  I,  however,  thought  it  best  to 
wait  till  after  I  had  returned  from  Himmelscron. 

I  left  for  this  place  on  the  24th  of  August,  accompanied 
by  my  governess  and  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz.  The  time  I 
spent  there  was  dull  in  the  extreme.  The  Margrave  was  in  a 
terrible  state;  his  memory  was  almost  gone,  and  he  was  scarce- 
ly conscious  of  what  he  said.  After  dinner,  and  when  he  had 
drunk  wine,  he  was  seized  with  convulsions,  which  terrified 
me,  as  I  feared  they  would  end  in  the  same  fits  to  which  he 
had  been  subject  in  his  youth.  He  spent  the  rest  of  the  day 
in  my  room,  which  annoyed  me  not  a  little. 

We  at  last  returned  to  Baireuth  on  the  4th  of  September, 
after  which  I  at  once  endeavored  to  have  a  private  interview 
with  M.  von  Hesberg.  He  at  once  owned  to  me  that  he  was 
cognizant  of  all  that  I  wished  to  know  ;  that  Mademoiselle  Flo- 
ra von  Sonnsfeld  had  confided  the  whole  matter  to  him,  and 
that  the  circumstances  of  the  case  were  as  follows:  From  the 
first  moment  I  had  interfered  in  the  matter,  the  Margrave  had 
been  unceasing  in  his  endeavors  to  win  Flora's  consent.  She 
had  at  first  refused  to  listen  to  him,  but  had  now  given  in  to 
his  entreaties,  yet  only  on  condition  that  she  obtained  our  con- 
sent to  her  marriage  with  him.  The  Margrave,  who  was  well 


362        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

aware  of  the  difficulties  that  stood  in  the  way  of  his  making 
her  Margravine,  had  decided  to  make  her  Countess  of  Himmels- 
cron.  He  intended  retiring  with  her  to  Himmelscron,  and  in- 
vesting a  large  capital  for  her  out  of  the  principality.  He  only 
waited  till  the  hereditary  prince  returned,  and  my  brother  had 
left,  to  inform  us  of  his  intentions.  He  was  determined  to 
carry  them  out,  whether  we  approved  of  thorn  or  not. 

All  this  troubled  me  greatly.  I  could  easily  have  put  an  end 
to  all  these  intrigues  by  appealing  to  the  king,  but  I  loved  my 
governess  and  her  family  too  much  to  wish  to  expose  them  to 
his  displeasure.  I  at  length  determined  to  venture  "  all  for  all," 
and  sent  for  Flora  von  Sonnsfeld.  I  told  her  that  I  was  per- 
fectly well  informed  of  all  her  intrigues  with  the  Margrave,  and 
that  I  had  already,  on  a  previous  occasion,  spoken  with  her,  tell- 
ing her  that  I  should  never  give  my  consent  to  the  marriage, 
and  that  if  she  persisted  in  her  intention  of  marrying  the  Mar- 
grave, she  would  compel  me  to  inform  the  king  of  what  was 
taking  place.  That  she  must  give  up  having  these  constant  in- 
terviews with  him,  which  did  harm  to  her  reputation.  I  said 
she  ought  to  consider  the  terrible  state  of  his  health  ;  that  he 
was  on  the  brink  of  the  grave,  and  could  not  possibly  live  long. 
If  she  married  him  for  love,  then  her  grief  at  his  loss  would  bo 
far  greater  than  it  would  otherwise  have  been  ;  but  if  she  were 
doing  so  merely  from  selfish  motives,  then  I  promised  to  pro- 
vide for  her  as  long  as  I  lived,  and  told  her  I  would  endeavor 
to  find  means  of  rewarding  her  for  the  sacrifice  she  might  make 
of  her  personal  wishes.  I  softened  this  speech  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, and,  partly  by  threats  and  partly  by  gentleness,  obtained 
a  second  promise  from  her  that  she  would  move  no  further  in 
the  matter.  She  owned  to  me  she  had  always  hoped  to  win 
my  consent  in  the  end,  that  the  Margrave's  affection  for  her 
touched  her  deeply,  and  she  should  be  obliged  to  treat  him 
most  carefully  in  order  to  prevent  his  anger  being  roused  and 
vented  on  us ;  "  for,"  she  added,  "  were  he  to  become  aware  that 
your  Royal  Highness's  opposition  to  his  wishes  was  the  cause 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINK    OF    BAIREUTII.        3G.1 

of  rny  refusal,  there  is  no  knowing  to  what  his  fury  might  drive 
him." 

Flora  von  Sonnsfcld  managed  so  cleverly  that  up  to  the  mo- 
ment of  his  death  she  evaded  giving  the  Margrave  a  decided 
answer,  and  by  her  influence  over  him  was  able  to  be  of  the 
greatest  service  to  us.  She  was,  indeed,  the  Margravine  in  all 
but  name.  Nothing  was  settled  without  her  leave,  and  all  marks 
of  favor  were  obtained  through  her.  The  first  pleasure  I  owed 
to  her  intervention  was  my  husband's  return,  the  permission 
for  which  she  obtained  with  great  difficulty  from  the  Margrave. 
The  French  were  taking  up  their  winter  quarters,  and  there  was 
nothing  more  for  the  army  to  do. 

On  the  14th  of  this  month  I  had  the  great  joy  of  again  em- 
bracing my  husband.  He  had  been  universally  appreciated.  I 
received  numerous  letters,  all  speaking  in  terms  of  the  highest 
praise  of  him,  and  of  the  zeal  he  had  shown  in  learning  his  du- 
ties in  the  field.  I  found  him  looking  very  well  and  much 
stouter.  He  expressed  himself  with  much  dissatisfaction  about 
my  brother,  who,  he  told  me,  was  so  greatly  altered  for  the  worse 
that  one  would  scarcely  recognize  him.  He  said  the  crown 
prince  no  longer  took  the  least  interest  in  me,  and  was,  in  one 
word,  altogether  a  changed  man.  I  was  greatly  distressed  at 
this  news,  but  nevertheless  flattered  myself  I  should  regain  my 
place  in  his  affections  during  his  stay  with  me. 

The  king  was  in  a  wretched  condition.  He  had  been  taken 
to  Berlin,  but  the  doctors  considered  his  state  as  quite  hopeless. 
The  Margrave  was  failing  rapidly.  The  state  of  his  health  did 
not  allow  of  his  receiving  my  brother.  In  order  to  avoid  see- 
ing him  he  went  into  the  park,  where  he  had  a  beautiful 
house,  and  began  a  new  cure.  But  he  was  unable  to  stand  the 
treatment,  and  an  attack  of  hemorrhage  threatened  to  put  an 
end  to  his  life.  Those  about  his  person  advised  him  to  dismiss 
his  doctor,  and  indeed  irritated  him  so  much  against  him  that 
had  not  others  interfered  he  would  have  had  the  poor  man  ar- 
rested. The  other  doctors  told  the  Margrave  that  the  baths 


364        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREtJTH. 

had  produced  the  state  in  which  he  was,  while  Gokel  (his  own 
doctor)  declared  the  very  reverse,  and  tried  to  prove  it  by  giving 
the  following  reasons : 

"  You  preserve  the  body  by  embalming  it,"  he  said ;  "  if  there- 
fore I  succeed  in  embalming  a  living  being,  he  ought  to  live  a 
hundred  years.  Pine  cones  are  the  best  remedy  against  decom- 
position, and  I  have  therefore  acted  as  a  clever  man  should  in 
recommending  the  use  of  this  remedy  to  the  Margrave  and  the 
hereditary  princess." 

I  could  not  help  laughing  at  a  system  that  was  to  make  mum- 
mies of  the  Margrave  and  myself. 

Meanwhile  we  received  favorable  news  of  the  Austrians  in 
Italy.  Count  Konigseck  having  crossed  the  Seggio  with  his 
troops,  surprised  the  army  of  Count  Broglio  and  the  King  of 
Sardinia.  The  marshal  escaped  with  bare  feet,  the  other  with 
his  boots  on,  and  the  whole  Allied  Army  took  to  flight.  Peo- 
ple said  it  had  been  most  amusing  to  see  the  Austrian  soldiers 
dressing  themselves  up  in  the  braided  uniforms  of  the  French  of- 
ficers. A  few  days  later  the  French  received  full  satisfaction. 
Count  Konigseck  having  pursued  them,  they  offered  him  battle 
at  Guastalla,  and  defeated  him.  Prince  Louis  of  Wiirtemberg 
and  many  brave  Austrian  generals  fell  in  this  engagement. 

My  brother  arrived  at  our  house  on  the  6th  of  October,  lie 
seemed  to  me  to  be  unable  to  control  himself,  and  in  order  to 
avoid  all  conversation  with  me,  said  he  was  obliged  to  write  to 
the  king  and  queen.  I  sent  for  pens  and  paper,  and  he  sat 
down  and  wrote  in  my  room.  It  took  him  one  good  long 
hour  to  write  two  short  notes  of  a  few  lines  only.  Afterwards 
he  had  the  whole  Court  presented  to  him,  but  took  no  particu- 
lar notice  of  its  members  beyond  looking  mockingly  at  each  of 
them.  We  then  went  to  dinner.  The  whole  of  his  conversa- 
tion consisted  of  perpetual  satirical  remarks  about  everything 
he  saw,  while  he  repeated  to  me  over  and  over  again  the  words 
"  little  Sovereign  and  little  Court"  at  least  a  hundred  times.  I 
was  irritated  beyond  measure,  and  could  not  understand  bow 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        365 

he  could  have  altered  so  much  towards  me.  The  etiquette  at 
all  the  courts  of  Germany  allows  only  those  that  have  the  rank 
of  captain  to  dine  at  the  table  with  the  royal  personages,  lieu- 
tenants and  ensigns  dining  at  a  third  table.  My  brother  had  a 
lieutenant  in  his  suite,  and  insisted  on  his  dining  at  his  table, 
saying  that  the  king's  lieutenants  were  worth  the  Margrave's 
ministers.  I  appeared  not  to  notice  this  uncivil  remark. 

As  we  were  sitting  alone  together  in  the  afternoon,  my  broth- 
er said,  "  Our  old  master  has  nearly  reached  his  end ;  he  will 
not  last  out  this  month !  I  know  he  made  you  many  fine  prom- 
ises, but  I  shall  not  be  able  to  fulfil  them.  Half  the  sum  the 
king  has  lent  you  I  will  leave  you.  I  think  you  can  both  be 
satisfied  with  that."  I  answered  him  that  my  love  for  him 
had  no  selfish  ends  in  view,  and  that  I  should  never  ask  him 
for  anything  but  the  continuance  of  his  friendship.  I  would 
rather  not  accept  a  penny  from  him  than  be  a  burden  to  him. 

"No,  no," my  brother  replied, "you  are  to  have  the  hundred 
thousand  thalers.*  I  have  settled  them  on  you.  People  will 
be  much  surprised  when  they  find  how  differently  I  act  to  what 
they  expect.  They  imagine  I  shall  waste  my  treasures,  and 
that  money  will  become  as  common  at  Berlin  as  stones.  I 
shall  take  good  care  it  is  not  so.  I  shall  increase  the  army,  but 
all  the  rest  will  remain  on  its  old  footing.  The  queen,  my 
mother,  shall  be  treated  with  every  possible  respect  and  honor, 
but  she  shall  not  interfere  in  the  affairs  of  the  State.  If  she 
does  so  she  will  meet  her  match  in  me." 

I  was  struck  dumb  as  I  heard  the  crown  prince  say  all  this, 
and  did  not  know  whether  I  were  sleeping  or  waking.  My 
brother  afterwards  asked  me  about  the  affairs  of  the  principal- 
ity, about  which  I  gave  him  nearer  details.  "  When  your  fool- 
ish father-in-law  is  dead,  I  would  advise  your  getting  rid  of  the 
whole  Court,  and  living  like  private  people,  in  order  to  pay  off 
your  debts.  You  do  not,  in  fact,  require  so  many  people,  and 

*  Fifteen  thousand  pounds. 


366        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

you  must  discover  how  to  reduce  the  salary  of  those  whom  it  is 
necessary  for  you  to  keep.  You  were  accustomed  at  Berlin  to 
have  only  four  dishes  at  dinner,  and  you  must  be  satisfied  with 
the  same  here.  I  will  ask  you  both  to  come  to  Berlin  from  time 
to  time,  and  that  will  save  you  the  expense  of  house-keeping." 

My  heart  had  all  along  felt  fit  to  break,  but  now  as  I  listened 
to  this  unworthy  talk  of  my  brother's  I  burst  into  tears. 
"  Why  do  you  cry  ?"  he  asked  me.  "  Go  along  with  you,  you 
are  depressed  and  in  a  melancholy  humor,  and  require  some 
distraction.  The  music  is  waiting  for  us.  I  will  drive  your 
sad  thoughts  away  by  playing  to  you  on  the  flute."  With 
these  words  he  gave  me  his  hand,  and  led  me  into  the  other 
room.  I  sat  down  to  the  harpsichord,  which  I  covered  with  my 
tears.  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  sat  down  opposite  to  me,  so 
that  no  one  should  observe  my  distress. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  his  stay  with  us  the  crown  prince  re- 
ceived an  urgent  message  from  the  queen  entreating  him  to 
hasten  his  return,  as  the  king  was  at  the  point  of  death.  This 
news  overwhelmed  me  with  grief.  I  loved  the  king,  and  felt 
that  owing  to  the  turn  circumstances  had  taken  I  could  no  lon- 
ger rely  on  my  brother.  During  the  last  two  days  before  he 
left  he  was  more  amiable  towards  me.  My  love  for  him  made 
me  find  excuses  for  his  shortcomings,  and  I  fondly  believed  we 
were  again  reconciled  to  each  other.  The  hereditary  prince 
meanwhile  did  not  let  himself  be  deceived.  He  told  me  many 
things  which  afterwards  came  true.  My  brother  took  his  de- 
parture on  the  9th  of  October,  leaving  me  in  great  uncertainty 
regarding  himself.  Two  days  after  this  the  Margrave  returned 
to  Baireuth.  I  was  greatly  taken  aback  at  his  appearance,  for 
I  never  had  seen  such  an  alteration  in  any  one.  His  whole 
face  was  drawn  on  one  side,  so  that  I  scarcely  recognized  him. 
During  the  whole  time  he  spent  with  me  he  did  nothing  but 
abuse  his  doctor,  and  give  me  the  minutest  details  of  his  ill- 
ness. This  latter  increased  so  rapidly  that  he  was  soon  unable 
to  leave  his  own  room.  I  visited  him  every  day,  and  his  tern- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         367 

per  was  so  unbearable  that  we  suffered  martyrdom  while  we 
were  with  him.  For  fear  of  bringing  his  people  into  trouble 
we  dared  speak  to  nobody.  The  Margrave  had  taken  it  into 
his  head  that  we  had  intrigues  and  plots  with  every  one,  and 
in  order  to  put  an  end  to  the  constant  disagreeableness  to  which 
we  were  exposed  we  no  longer  saw  anybody,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  my  ladies.  We  dined  and  supped  alone ;  I  read,  worked, 
and  composed  music  during  the  day.  We  played  at  blind- 
man's-buff,  danced  or  sung ;  in  fact,  tried  to  pass  away  the  time 
as  best  we  could.  I  have  hitherto  forgotten  to  mention  a  very 
interesting  circumstance,  because  I  disliked  breaking  the  thread 
of  my  narrative. 

I  have  already  given  a  description  of  the  dowager  Margra- 
vine of  Culmbach,  who  lived  at  Erlangen.  She  had  fallen  in 
love  with  a  Count  Hoditz,  who  belonged  to  a  very  old  Silesian 
family,  but  who  was  notorious  as  an  adventurer.  As  the  prin- 
cess's singular  behavior  was  well  known,  and  as  she  was  con- 
stantly having  fresh  lovers,  this  new  intimacy  did  not  trouble 
the  Margrave.  At  first,  too,  she  was  most  circumspect  in  her 
conduct,  but  eventually  determined  to  marry  this  Count  Ho- 
ditz. The  two  lovers  left  the  castle  one  dark  night.  In  order 
to  escape  unseen,  they  had  got  hold  of  the  keys  and  let  them- 
selves out  through  the  garden.  It  was  pouring  with  rain,  but 
notwithstanding  they  walked  to  a  small  village  half  a  mile 
from  Erlangen.  The  Margravine  was  dressed  in  a  petticoat 
and  short  jacket.  In  this  village  they  found  two  Catholic 
priests,  who  married  them,  after  which  they  returned  to  the 
castle  in  the  same  manner  in  which  they  had  come.  The  Mar- 
gravine's secretary  and  a  footman  who  had  followed  them 
served  as  witnesses.  She  gave  her  husband,  who  left  in  a  few 
days  for  Vienna,  part  of  her  jewels,  and  the  rest  she  pawned  to 
pay  for  the  expenses  of  his  journey.  This  circumstance  made 
a  great  stir,  and  the  Margravine's  secretary,  who  observed  that 
he  would  not  be  likely  to  gain  by  it,  notified  the  marriage  to 
my  father-in-law. 


368        MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MAEGUAVINE    OF    BA1KEUTH. 

The  Margrave  immediately  sent  Baron  Stein  to  Erlangen  to 
inquire  into  the  whole  matter.  The  Margravine  at  once  ac- 
knowledged her  marriage.  Every  possible  representation  was 
made  to  her.  She  was  told  how  disgraceful  her  behavior  was, 
and  the  serious  consequences  it  would  have.  It  was  proposed 
to  annul  the  marriage,  on  account  of  its  not  having  been  per- 
formed according  to  the  ritual  of  the  Church,  inasmuch  as  the 
priests  had  not  received  dispensation  from  the  Bishop  of  Bain- 
berg  to  perform  the  ceremony.  The  Margravine  answered  that 
she  would  rather  live  on  dry  bread  and  water  with  the  count 
than  possess  all  the  riches  of  the  world.  As  the  Margrave  per- 
ceived he  could  make  no  impression  on  her,  he  informed  the 
Duke  of  Weissenfels  of  the  occurrence.  The  duke  sent  one  of 
his  ministers  to  Erlangen,  but  all  his  entreaties  and  representa- 
tions proved  equally  unavailing.  The  Margravine  left  the  cas- 
tle to  rejoin  her  husband.  Her  creditors,  however  (of  whom 
there  were  many),  arrested  her.  In  order  to  free  herself  from 
their  hands  she  made  over  all  her  possessions  to  them.  Hav- 
ing done  this,  she  went  to  Vienna,  where  she  became  a  Roman 
Catholic.  She  lived  there  in  the  greatest  poverty,  despised  by 
every  orfe.  As  long  as  she  still  possessed  any  money  her  hus- 
band had  flattered  her.  She  was  forced  to  sell  all  her  clothes 
to  pay  his  expenses,  and  he  finally  deserted  her,  leaving  her  in 
abject  misery. 

The  commencement  of  the  year  1735  was  not  favorable  to 
the  Margrave.  His  health  became  worse  and  worse,  and  he 
could  no  longer  leave  his  bed.  Endless  projects  passed  through 
liis  mind,  but  he  never  thought  of  death.  He  planned  im- 
provements at  Ilimmelscron.  He  intended  making  it  a  beau- 
tiful residence,  and  spending  a  hundred  thousand  florins  on  it. 
I  have  not  yet  spoken  of  his  order.  He  wished  to  alter  it,  and 
have  different  classes  of  it.  He  bought  numbers  of  horses, 
and  had  different  kinds  of  carriages  built,  in  order  to  keep  up 
the  appearances  of  a  "  great  gentleman."  Indeed,  had  not  the 
Almighty  taken  him  to  Himself,  he  would  have  ruined  his 


MEMO1US    OF    T11K    MARGRAVINE    OF    J5AIREUTH.        3G9 

whole  country,  and  made  us  complete  beggars.  All  about 
him  who  saw  that  he  could  not  possibly  recover,  turned  for 
help  to  the  hereditary  prince,  who  was  secretly  endeavoring  to 
postpone  the  rebuilding  of  Hitnmelscron  and  other  expenses. 
At  times  the  Margrave  was  not  responsible  for  what  he  did : 
everything  went  wrong,  and  he  caused  us  great  annoyance. 
But  I  will  now  let  him  rest  a  while. 

The  king  was  still  dangerously  ill,  owing  to  the  dropsy.  He 
suffered  terribly,  for  his  legs  had  burst,  and  the  water  poured 
from  them.  As  he  was  rapidly  getting  worse,  he  determined 
that  mv  sister  Sophie's  marriage  to  the  Margrave  of  Schwedt 
should  take  place  at  once,  and  the  marriage  service  was  per- 
formed on  the  17th  of  January  at  his  bedside.  An  abscess 
having  formed  on  his  leg,  the  doctors  resolved  to  open  it. 
The  operation  was  long  and  painful,  but  the  king  bore  it  with 
heroic  patience.  He  had  a  looking-glass  brought,  so  that  he 
might  be  better  able  to  observe  what  the  surgeons  were  doing. 
My  brother  wrote  to  me  each  day  the  post  left,  and  told  me  the 
king  could  not  last  twenty-four  hours.  He  had,  however,  been 
mistaken ;  the  dropsy  became  less,  and  thanks  to  the  skill  of 
the  surgeons  he  made  a  marvellous  recovery.  It  was  consid- 
ered a  miracle.  All  my  sisters  went  to  Berlin  to  congratulate 
him  on  his  improved  health.  I  was  obliged  to  send  him  my 
good  wishes  in  writing,  as  I  was  unable  to  leave  the  Margrave 
in  his  present  state. 

Ill  as  he  was,  the  Margrave  insisted  on  inaugurating  his  new 
order.  All  the  knights  of  the  order  were  present.  He  lay  in 
bed,  and  there  received  the  homage  of  his  Court.  This  order 
consists  of  a  white  cross,  with  the  red  eagle,  which  is  the 
family  order,  in  the  middle  of  it.  The  order  is  worn  round 
the  neck  attached  to  a  red  ribbon  with  a  gold  border.  The 
star  is  of  silver,  with  the  red  eagle  in  the  centre,  surrounded 
by  the  motto,  "  Upright  and  constant,"  in  Latin.  I  gave  a 
great  banquet,  and  a  ball,  which,  however,  lasted  only  half  an 
hour. 
24 


370         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

I  was  much  distressed  at  this  time  by  a  letter  from  the 
Duchess  of  Brunswick,  announcing  the  death  of  her  husband, 
who  had  succeeded  to  the  throne  only  a  year.  I  mourned  his 
loss  most  truly,  and  have  ever  remained  his  wife's  firm,  devoted 
friend.  His  son,  Prince  Charles,  now  became  duke.  It  was  a 
great  piece  of  good-fortune  for  my  sister,  that  is,  if  one  can 
call  the  death  of  so  excellent  a  prince  a  lucky  event,  as  she 
found  herself  a  reigning  sovereign  two  years  after  her  mar- 
riage. 

Meanwhile  the  Margrave's  illness  became  so  dangerous  that 
he  was  advised  to  consult  a  celebrated  doctor  from  Erfurt. 
The  physician  that  had  replaced  Gokel  was  named  Zeitz,  and 
was  clever  and  more  scientific  than  his  predecessor,  but  his 
treatment  was  as  absurd.  He  was  also  a  bad  man,  without 
religion  of  any  kind,  so  that  no  control  whatever  could  be 
exercised  over  him.  A  blind  faith  is  not  given  to  every  one, 
indeed  it  will  often  be  found  that  those  who  live  the  most 
moral  lives  are  not  always  those  who  have  most  faith.  Yet  a 
"crooked  head  "that  has  no  faith  is  a  dangerous  member  of 
society.  Most  people  do  not  really  know  what  they  believe, 
and  do  without  religion  because  it  does  not  agree  with  their 
nature ;  others  again,  because  it  is  the  fashion,  and  some  in 
order  to  be  well  thought  of  by  those  cleverer  than  themselves. 
I  greatly  disapprove  of  these  strong-minded  people,  yet  I  can- 
not condemn  those  who  are  searching  for  truth  in  the  hope  of 
getting  rid  of  old  prejudices.  Indeed,  I  am  of  opinion  that 
thoughtful  people  must  be  good,  for  those  that  search  after 
truth  learn  to  judge  rightly,  and  in  judging  rightly  must  ap- 
preciate virtue.  My  reflections  have  led  me  away  from  my 
narrative,  and  I  must  now  take  up  its  thread  again. 

M.  Juch,  the  doctor  who  had  been  sent  for  from  Erfurt,  told 
the  Margrave  quite  honestly  that  he  could  not  recover,  and  that 
he  had  only  a  few  more  weeks  to  live.  Zeitz,  on  the  contrary, 
disagreed  with  this  opinion,  and  declared  he  would  cure  him. 
The  Margrave  believed  this  assertion,  as  was  but  natural,  for 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        371 

we  always  like  to  believe  what  we  wish  for.     My  father-in-law 
accordingly  continued  with  his  works  at  Himmelscron. 

When  the  Princess  of  East  Friesland  heard  of  her  father's 
serious  condition  she  at  once  started  for  Bairenth.  This 
troubled  the  hereditary  prince  and  myself  very  much,  as 
she  might  cause  us  endless  annoyance  should  she  induce  her 
father  to  make  a  will  iu  favor  of  her  and  her  sister.  Madem- 
oiselle Flora  von  Sonnsfeld,  however,  was  able  to  make  the 
Margrave  believe  that  the  sight  of  his  daughter  would  upset 
him  too  much,  and  that  she  might  prefer  requests  to  him  that 
would  not  be  in  the  interest  of  his  country,  and  which  he 
would  be  unable  to  refuse  without  appearing  to  act  harshly. 
In  one  word,  she  managed  so  cleverly  that  the  Margrave  sent 
off  a  messenger  begging  the  princess  not  to  come. 

The  Margrave's  affection  for  Mademoiselle  Flora  von  Sonns- 
feld continued  as  great  as  ever.  She  nobly  kept  the  promise 
she  had  made  me,  and  informed  me  of  all  her  interviews  with 
my  father-in-law.  Things  would  have  gone  badly  with  us  but 
for  her  help,  for  the  Margrave  treated  us  like  dogs.  We  bore 
it  all  patiently,  hoping  that  better  days  were  nigh  at  hand. 
I,  in  particular,  endured  all  the  ill-treatment  with  resignation, 
and  I  must  do  the  hereditary  prince  full  justice,  for  I  never 
heard  him  murmur  against  bis  father,  or  speak  of  him  with 
anything  but  the  greatest  respect,  save  on  one  sole  occasion 
when  the  Margrave  wanted  to  strike  him.  My  husband  was 
well  aware  of  his  father's  dangerous  state,  and  as  he  had  little 
knowledge  of  business,  had  daily  secret  interviews  with  M.  von 
Voit  on  matters  connected  with  the  affairs  of  the  principality. 
I  knew  the  hereditary  prince's  character  thoroughly,  and  was 
well  aware  that  he  would  not  allow  himself  to  be  led.  I  had 
fully  determined  not  to  interfere  -in  anything.  I  had  a  mortal 
hatred  of  intrigues,  but  was  equally  determined  that  every 
respect  should  be  paid  me,  and  that  no  one  should  meddle  with 
my  own  affairs.  I  do  not  know  whether  M.  von  Voit  told  the 
prince  I  wished  to  guide  and  influence  him,  but  I  could  not  but 


372        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

observe  that  ray  husband  was  no  longer  as  candid  and  open 
with  me  as  formerly.  This  troubled  me,  although  I  did  not  let 
it  be  noticed. 

One  day  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  said  to  me,  "  The  heredi- 
tary prince  is  still  too  lively  to  go  thoroughly  into  all  the  de- 
tails of  the  government.  I  am  sure  your  Royal  Highness  will 
be  obliged  to  help  him.  He  is  still  so  young,  knows  nothing 
about  these  things,  and  has  no  experience.  I  fear  he  will 
make  many  mistakes  if  he  does  not  follow  your  advice."  "  I 
assure  you,"  I  answered,  "  you  are  quite  mistaken,  my  dear 
friend.  I  shall  not  interfere  in  anything,  and  you  may  be 
quite  certain  that  the  prince  will  not  ask  me  for  advice."  She 
was  much  surprised  at  my  reply.  As  we  were  speaking  to- 
gether the  hereditary  prince  came  into  the  room,  and  Madem- 
oiselle von  Marwitz  repeated  to  him  our  whole  conversation  and 
the  answer  I  had  made  her.  He  said  nothing,  but  was  very 
cold  in  his  manner  towards  me.  I  thought  this  change  was 
due  to  the  many  grave  matters  with  which  he  was  occupied, 
for  up  to  this  time  he  had  never  had  any  secrets  from  me. 
He  had  always  told  me  his  inmost  thoughts,  but  had  never 
confided  his  views  about  the  future  to  me,  and  I  for  my  part 
had  never  troubled  about  them. 

One  day  as  we  were  sitting  at  dinner  we  were  sent  for  in  hot 
haste  to  the  Margrave,  who  was  said  to  be  at  the  point,  of  death. 
We  found  him  sitting  in  an  arm-chair,  unable  to  breatlie,  and 
with  the  pulse  of  a  dying  man.  He  looked  at  us  all  without 
saying  a  word.  A  clergyman  had  been  sent  for — a  step  which 
seemed  at  first  to  displease  him.  lie  spoke  most  touchingly 
to  the  Margrave.  He  told  him  he  would  soon  have  to  appear 
before  God  to  answer  for  all  his  actions;  that  he  must  bow  to 
God's  will,  and  the  Almighty  would  show  him  mercy,  and  give 
him  strength  to  meet  death  with  courage.  "I  have  been  just, 
1  have  been  charitable  towards  the  poor,"  my  father-in-law  an- 
swered, "  1  have  fulfilled  the  duties  of  my  station  ;  I  have  noth- 
ing to  reproach  myself  with,  and  can  appear  with  confidence 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        373 

before  God's  judgment-seat."  "  We  are  all  sinners,"  the  cler- 
gyman replied;  " even  the  most  just  on  earth  have  sinned  seven 
times,  and  we  too,  after  having  tried  to  do  our  utmost,  arc  use- 
less creatures."  We  observed  that  these  remarks  annoyed  the 
Margrave,  for  he  repeated  in  an  excited  tone,  "  No,  I  have  noth- 
ing to  reproach  myself  with,  and  my  people  can  mourn  my 
loss  as  that  of  a  father !"  He  remained  silent  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, and  after  that  begged  us  to  leave  him.  He  was  then 
put  to  bed  again,  and  we  were  greatly  surprised  to  hear  in  the 
evening  he  was  much  better.  He  had  scolded  his  servants  for 
having  made  such  a  to-do,  and  above  all  for  having  sent  for 
the  clergyman.  My  father-in-law  seemed  to  improve  for  a 
short  while,  but  again  on  the  6th  of  May  grew  so  much  worse 
that  Zeitz  himself,  who  had  always  said  he  would  recover,  now 
pronounced  his  sentence  of  death.  The  Margrave  became  very 
thoughtful,  and  desired  he  might  be  left  quite  alone  and  undis- 
turbed all  that  day.  His  weakness  was  very  great. 

Next  morning  he  sent  for  the  hereditary  prince  and  myself. 
He  exhorted  his  son  in  a  long  speech  how  he  was  to  govern 
his  country.  He  told  me  he  had  always  loved  me,  and  entreat- 
ed me  to  remind  my  husband  daily  of  his  moral  and  other  du- 
ties as  reigning  sovereign,  and  of  those  principles  he  had  just 
laid  down  for  his  guidance.  He  wished  me  everything  that 
was  best  in  this  world,  and  begged  me  to  accept  the  snuffbox 
he  gave  me  as  a  remembrance  of  him.  After  that  we  both 
knelt  down,  and  he  gave  us  his  blessing  and  embraced  us.  We 
were  crying  bitterly.  His  words  had  touched  me  so  deeply 
that  had  it  been  in  my  power  I  would  willingly  have  prolonged 
his  life.  My  father-in-law  asked  me  not  to  see  him  again  till 
the  end  came,  adding,  "  I  entreat  your  Royal  Highness  to  grant 
me  this  favor."  He  then  sent  for  my  daughter,  to  whom  he 
also  gave  his  blessing.  He  took  leave  of  my  ladies,  each  in 
turn,  but  not  of  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld,  who  was  ill.  All 
the  heads  of  the  different  State  departments  were  called  next. 
The  Margrave  spoke  to  them  all,  impressing  on  each  his  re- 


3*4         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAJREUTH. 

sponsibility  towards  the  State,  and  repeating  much  the  same 
as  he  had  said  to  the  clergyman.  In  conclusion  he  exhorted 
them  to  be  faithful  and  devoted  to  their  new  sovereign,  and 
bade  them  a  last  farewell.  He  had  the  strength  of  mind  to 
take  leave  of  his  whole  Court,  from  the  first  minister  of  state 
down  to  the  most  humble  of  his  servants.  It  touched  me  much, 
but  I  must  nevertheless  confess  there  was  too  much  show  about 
it  all.  The  Margrave  was  at  great  pains  to  impress  on  every- 
one what  great  services  he  had  rendered  his  country.  It  will 
be  seen  he  had  never  really  thought  of  death,  but  had  gone 
through  the  whole  ceremony  for  the  sake  of  effect.  He  was 
so  weak  after  it  that  he  begged  to  be  left  alone. 

The  doctors  told  us  that  his  death  might  take  place  any  mo- 
ment. In  order  to  be  near  at  hand,  and  also  to  be  able  to  keep 
our  promise  to  him,  we  took  up  our  position  in  a  room  next 
that  in  which  he  lay,  and  sat  watching  there  all  night. 

As  my  father-in-law  felt  much  weaker  next  day,  he  sent  for 
the  hereditary  prince,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Council  of 
State  made  over  the  government  to  him,  begging  at  the  same 
time  that  he  might  no  longer  be  troubled  with  business  of  any 
kind.  He  repented  of  it  as  soon  as  he  had  done  so,  and  could 
not  help  reproaching  my  husband  each  time  he  saw  him.  He 
even  inquired  whether  the  hereditary  prince  had  already  issued 
any  orders,  adding  that  he  supposed  he  was  in  perfect  bliss  at 
being  at  last  his  own  master.  The  Margrave  was  told  with 
perfect  truth  that  the  hereditary  prince  had  sworn  not  to  give 
an  order  or  to  transact  any  business  as  long  as  his  father  was 
still  living. 

My  father-in-law's  illness  lasted  till  the  16th  of  May,  when 
we  were  suddenly  summoned.  It  was  nine  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing. We  found  every  one  assembled  in  the  Margrave's  sitting- 
room,  and  all  were  praying.  We  heard  the  death-rattle  in  his 
throat,  and  he  was  in  fearful  suffering.  He  said  to  my  hus- 
band, "  Dear  son,  I  am  suffocating;  I  can  bear  this  pain  no 
longer — it  drives  me  to  despair;"  and  then  he  screamed  aloud. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE  MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         375 

It  was  terrible  to  hear  him.  Three  times  he  lost  consciousness, 
and  three  times  he  regained  it.  He  spoke  up  to  the  last  mo- 
ment, and  died  at  last  on  the  17th  of  May,  at  half-past  six  in 
the  morning. 

I  had  never  been  more  overcome  in  my  life.  I  had  never 
seen  any  one  die,  and  it  had  made  such  an  impression  on  me 
that  it  was  long  ere  I  got  over  it.  The  hereditary  prince  was 
in  great  despair,  and  it  was  with  much  trouble  that  we  persuad- 
ed him  to  leave  his  father's  room  and  go  to  his  own.  The 
whole  Court  had  followed  him  there.  As  soon  as  my  husband 
had  somewhat  recovered,  M.  von  Voit  told  him  it  was  necessary 
for  the  Council  of  State  to  be  appointed  and  sworn  in.  The 
Margrave  hesitated  for  a  moment,  and  made  no  reply.  He 
then  took  me  aside  and  asked  me  my  opinion.  I  told  him  hon- 
estly I  did  not  think  there  was  such  pressing  haste.  His  father 
had  scarcely  been  dead  an  hour,  and  it  seemed  to  me  we  ought 
to  show  some  respect,  and  not  appear  so  anxious  at  once  to 
assume  the  government.  By  postponing  the  business  to  the 
next  day  he  would  gain  time  and  be  able  to  consider  carefully 
whom  he  wished  to  appoint.  My  husband  followed  my  ad- 
vice. We  were  both  greatly  fatigued,  for  we  had  been  up  and 
watching  all  night,  and  my  health  besides  was  most  indifferent. 
In  order  to  escape  the  importunities  of  these  gentlemen,  the 
Margrave  laid  down  and  rested  for  a  few  hours.  So  much 
pressure  was,  however,  put  on  him  as  to  the  necessity  of  the 
immediate  appointment  of  the  ministers  of  state  that  my  hus- 
band settled  the  matter.  The  Council  of  State  (or  Privy  Coun- 
cil) consisted  of  Baron  Stein,  Voit,  Dobenek,  Hessberg,  Lauter- 
bach,  and  Thomas. 

The  mourning  and  the  funeral  were  then  decided  on,  and 
the  Margrave  was  made  to  believe  that  the  Council  must  settle 
all  these  things.  My  husband,  who  was  quite  inexperienced 
in  such  matters,  was  obliged  to  trust  to  what  was  told  him. 
These  gentlemen  met  for  three  consecutive  weeks,  and  did 
nothing  else  but  settle  about  the  cloth  which  was  to  be  bought, 


376        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

although  that  was  a  matter  which  belonged  to  the  lord  cham- 
berlain's office.  The  Council  soon  made  itself  quite  intolerable, 
particularly  M.  von  Voit.  This  man  owed  me  much  gratitude, 
for  I  had  always  strenuously  supported  him  during  my  father- 
in-law's  lifetime.  He  was  my  lord  chamberlain,  and  the  du- 
ties of  his  office  required  him  to  come  and  see  me  at  least  once 
every  day.  He  did  not  do  so,  nor  did  he  send  an  excuse,  and 
this  conduct  made  me  extremely  angry  with  him.  The  late 
Margrave  lay  in  state,  and  his  funeral  took  place  on  the  31st 
of  May.  He  was  interred  at  Himmclscron  in  a  vault  he  had 
himself  built  for  that  purpose.  On  the  1st  of  June  we  went 
into  deep  mourning,  which  was  to  be  worn  for  a  whole  year. 
The  same  day  I  held  a  reception  in  order  to  receive  the  condo- 
lence of  the  entire  Court.  There  was  also  for  the  first  time  a 
great  public  dinner.  As  all  this  show  of  mourning  and  the  at- 
tendant ceremonies  were  very  wearisome  to  us,  we  went  to  the 
Brandenburger  for  some  weeks. 

M.  von  Voit  came  one  day  to  see  me,  and  told  me  he  had 
become  aware  that  I  was  displeased  with  him  because  he  did 
not  more  punctually  perform  his  duties  as  lord  chamberlain. 
He  said  he  was  very  busy,  and  had  scarcely  a  free  moment  to 
himself.  He  added  that  the  Council  of  State  had  not  forgot- 
ten me,  and  had  determined  to  apply  for  an  increase  of  my  in- 
come, and  that  he  did  not  doubt  that  the  Margrave  would 
grant  it.  This  speech  made  me  extremely  angry.  I  answered 
very  coldly,  "If  I  require  my  income  increased,  I  will  myself 
ask  the  Margrave  to  increase  it.  I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for 
your  kind  intentions,  but  shall  not  trouble  you  to  speak  for 
me,  as  I  shall  take  that  duty  on  myself."  He  seemed  much 
put  out,  and  said  he  thought  it  could  not  be  very  pleasant  to 
ask  for  a  favor  for  one's  self.  "Yet  still  more  unpleasant,  sir," 
I  replied,  "  if  asked  for  through  another  person.  In  order  that 
you  may  at  once  understand  my  position,  I  wish  to  tell  you  I 
would  not  accept  an  increase  of  my  income  even  if  the  Mar- 
grave offered  it  to  me.  His  finances  have  suffered  too  much 


MKMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGUAV1XK    OF    BAIREUTH.         377 

from  the  great  expenses  he  has  had  without  my  causing  him 
more.  At  the  same  time,  sir,  I  should  wish  to  owe  to  him  any 
advantages  I  gain,  otherwise  they  would  afford  me  but  little 
satisfaction." 

I  at  once  observed  that  the  members  of  the  Council  intended 
placing  me  in  the  same  position  as  my  sister  of  Anspach.  She 
was  always  obliged  to  appeal  for  aid  to  a  third  person  when 
she  wished  to  obtain  anything  from  her  husband.  The  cold- 
ness with  which  the  Margrave  treated  me,  together  with  the 
feeling  I  had,  troubled  me  much.  I  went  to  my  room  with 
Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  and  confided  my  fears  to  her,  cry- 
ing bitterly.  She  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  said  she  shared 
my  fears,  and  that  the  Council  had  clearly  shown  their  inten- 
tion of  alone  ruling  the  Margrave.  In  order  to  attain  this  end, 
she  said,  they  must  begin  by  getting  me  under  control.  They 
occupied  themselves  chiefly  with  trifles,  and  wished  to  meddle 
in  the  smallest  details,  while  they  neglected  more  important 
matters.  She  entreated  me  to  speak  with  the  Margrave,  and 
to  open  his  eyes.  She  would  meanwhile  try  and  lead  the  con- 
versation towards  that  topic,  so  as  to  prepare  him  somewhat 
for  what  I  should  say.  I  at  first  declined  to  follow  her  advice; 
she  had,  however,  so  many  good  reasons  to  give  me  that  I  at 
last  decided  to  do  as  she  suggested. 

I  really  did  speak  to  the  Margrave ;  but  he  took  it  very  ill, 
and  said  many  hard  things  to  me.  I  am  very  quick  tempered, 
but  can  control  myself  up  to  a  certain  point.  I  am  a  woman, 
and  like  other  women  have  my  weaknesses.  I  had  a  dreadful 
quarrel  with  my  husband,  and  was  in  such  despair  that  I  fainted 
away.  %  I  was  put  to  bed,  and  was  attacked'with  such  difficulty 
in  breathing  that  those  around  me  feared  for  my  life.  The 
Margrave  was  at  once  sent  for.  My  state  touched  him  deeply, 
and  he  was  in  the  greatest  anxiety  about  me.  We  made  ex- 
cuses to  each  other,  and  after  a  long  explanation  he  told  me 
that  he  had  been  set  against  me. 

My  husband  begged   my   pardon  over  and  over  again.     I 


378        MEMOIRS    OT  THB    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTl-I. 

promised  him  I  would  never  interfere  or  meddle  in  anything, 
and  trusted  he  would  never  tolerate  mischief  being  made  be- 
tween us,  and  my  being  lowered  in  his  estimation.  The  Mar- 
grave replied  that  nothing  would  make  him  happier  than  my 
continuing  to  be  as  natural  and  open  with  him  as  of  old,  and 
he  begged  me  always  candidly  to  tell  him  my  thoughts  and 
opinions.  He  promised  me  he  would  on  his  part  never  have 
any  secrets  from  me.  Our  conversation  resulted  in  our  being 
even  greater  friends  than  before.  He  asked  my  advice  about 
everything,  and  I  told  him  I  had  rarely  known  any  one  that 
would  less  allow  himself  to  be  ruled  than  himself.  By  giving 
his  Council  of  State  such  power  he  would  become  a  tool  in  its 
hands — a  position  from  which  he  would  find  it  most  difficult  to 
extricate  himself.  He  would  then  be  driven  to  violent  meas- 
ures in  order  to  make  the  Council  understand  its  proper  place. 
I  begged  him  to  remember  his  father's  last  words  and  recom- 
mendations, viz.,  to  keep  his  ministers  within  bounds,  to  lis- 
ten to  their  advice,  but  to  weigh  it  well  before  he  followed  it. 
Having  reflected  on  what  I  had  said,  my  husband  asked  me, 
"But  what  shall  I  do?  I  must  trust  them;  I  know  nothing 
of  the  business  of  the  State.  I  have  myself  told  them  I  wished 
them  to  occupy  themselves  with  graver  matters,  and  not  waste 
their  time  in  troubling  over  trifling  details.  They,  however, 
answered  me  that  they  could  not  do  everything  at  once." 

Colonel  von  Reitzenstein  had  been  sent  to  Berlin,  and  M. 
von  Hessbcrg  to  Denmark.  The  finances  were  in  such  a  de- 
plorable state  that  I  was  obliged  to  use  a  capital  of  six  thou- 
sand thalers,*  which  I  had  invested,  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
these  two  missions.  -  I  made  the  Margrave  a  present  of  that 
sum.  If  I  could  have  given  him  pleasure  even  at  the  sacrifice 
of  my  life,  I  would  gladly  have  done  so.  He  on  his  part 
showed  me  every  possible  respect,  and  repaid  my  affection  by 
equal  love,  lie  had  so  good  a  heart  that  he  could  never  make 

*  Nine  hundred  pounds. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         370 

up  his  mind  to  say  an  unkind  word  to  any  one,  far  less  to  re- 
fuse any  favor  asked  of  him.  This  excessive  kindness  was  the 
cause  of  many  an  annoyance,  and  the  reason  of  his  leaving  the 
Court  in  the  same  condition  as  he  found  it.  All  those  who 
were  devoted  to  him  advised  him  to  get  rid  of  all  known  mis- 
chief-makers and  lovers  of  intrigues,  but  he  could  not  decide 
to  do  so.  My  husband  neglected  none  of  the  duties  he  owed 
his  late  father,  and  did  not  dismiss  a  single  old  servant.  He 
showed  the  greatest  magnanimity  to  those  who  had  sown  dis- 
union between  him  and  his  father,  and  if  any  one  spoke  to 
him  on  the  subject,  he  answered,  "  I  have  forgotten  the  past, 
and  wish  every  one  in  my  country  to  be  happy  and  contented." 

The  gentlemen  composing  the  Council  of  State  were  much 
dissatisfied  with  the  generosity  the  Margrave  displayed  towards 
his  father's  old  servants.  They  sent  to  me  M.  von  Voit,  who 
arrived  breathless,  with  their  complaints.  I  never  listened  to  a 
more  insolent  speech  than  his.  "The  Margrave  is  doing  un- 
heard-of things,"  he  said  to  me,  "  in  appointing  people  to  de- 
partments and  posts,  without  first  asking  the  advice  of  his 
Council."  He  then  struck  the  floor  with  his  stick,  exclaiming, 
"  lie  is  not  empowered  to  dismiss  or  appoint  even  a  kitchen- 
maid  without  our  leave.  We  shall  go  in  a  body  to  the  Mar- 
grave, and  represent  to  him  that  we  consider  ourselves  not 
treated  with  proper  respect."  I  answered  that  I  should  not 
interfere,  and  that  they  could  do  whatever  seemed  best  to  them. 
My  husband,  who  was  talking  to  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld 
in  the  next  room,  heard  all  that  Voit  had  said,  and  would  have 
told  him  what  he  thought  of  it  had  she  not  prevented  him. 

As  soon  as  Voit  had  left  me  my  husband  entered  the  room 
greatly  excited,  and  vowing  he  would  dismiss  all  the  members 
of  the  Council.  After  a  while  I  succeeded  in  pacifying  him. 
He  now  recognized  the  truth  of  my  previous  speeches,  and  de- 
cided on  seeking  the  assistance  of  a  man  who  had  formerly 
been  his  father's  secretary.  He  was  named  Ellerot,  and  was  as 
clever  as  could  be.  The  late  Margrave  had  trusted  him  blind- 


380        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

ly,  and  had  greatly  respected  him  on  account  of  his  perfect 
honesty.  My  husband,  who  remembered  Ellerot's  great  knowl- 
edge of  all  matters  connected  with  the  State,  thought  he  could 
not  do  better  than  obtain  his  help  in  resisting  the  overbearing 
conduct  of  his  Council.  Ellerot  soon  made  the  Margrave  ac- 
quainted with  all  the  business,  and  informed  him  of  all  his  fa- 
ther's plans. 

My  health  now  really  began  slightly  to  improve.  As  we 
had  no  better  doctor,  we  were  obliged  to  keep  Zeitz.  Ho 
made  me  take  goat's  milk  and  seltzer- water,  and  recommended 
as  much  exercise  as  possible.  I  learned  to  use  a  gun,  and  ac- 
companied my  husband  nearly  every  evening  when  he  went 
out  shooting.  As  I  was  still  too  weak  to  walk  much,  my  hus- 
band had  a  carriage  made  for  me  from  which  I  could  conven- 
iently fire.  I  really  did  this  more  by  way  of  passing  the  time 
than  to  kill  the  poor  animals.  I  did  not  care  about  shooting, 
and  abandoned  it  as  soon  as  I  found  other  occupation.  What 
I  cared  for  passionately  was  the  study  of  the  sciences,  music, 
and  the  pleasures  of  cultivated  society.  I  could  not  have  as 
much  of  these  as  I  wished.  My  health  prevented  my  occupying 
myself  as  much  as  formerly,  and  the  music  and  society  I  had 
were  not  of  the  best. 

The  campaign  on  the  Rhine  took  the  same  turn  as  the  last 
year's.  The  time  was  spent  in  eating  and  drinking. 

Twelve  thousand  Russian  soldiers,  who  were  to  join  the  Im- 
perial troops,  marched  through  the  upper  Palatinate.  We  ar- 
ranged to  sec  them  on  their  way.  Before  starting  we  received 
M.  von  Polnitz,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  king  to  express  his 
sympathy  with  us  at  the  death  of  the  late  Margrave. 

This  personage  has  made  enough  stir  in  the  world  to  oblige 
me  to  mention  him  specially.  He  is  the  author  of  the  me- 
moirs which  appeared  in  his  name.  The  king  had  had  them 
read  aloud  to  him,  and  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  account 
given  of  the  Berlin  Court  that  he  expressed  a  wish  to  see  the 
author  again.  Polnitz  was  at  that  time  living  at  Vienna  under 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MAEGEAVINE    OF    BAIEEUTH.         381 

the  empress's  especial  protection.  He  came  to  Berlin,  where  he 
managed  to  ingratiate  himself  with  the  king,  and  obtain  a  sal- 
ary of  fifteen  hundred  thalers*  from  him.  I  had  known  Pol- 
nitz  very  well  in  my  youth.  He  was  extremely  clever  and  well- 
read,  and  his  conversation  was  most  agreeable.  Although  his 
heart  was  not  bad,  he  had  no  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  no 
right  judgment.  He  constantly  sinned  from  inadvertent  hasti- 
ness. He  was  clever  enough  to  retain  the  kingls  favor  as 
long  as  he  lived,  and  my  father  stood  by  him  till  the  last. 
We  liked  Polnitz  very  much,  and  the  time  passed  pleasantly 
in  his  society.  He  accompanied  us  to  a  monastery,  where  we 
spent  the  night.  We  stayed  there  in  order  to  see  the  Russian 
troops,  who  were  to  pass  next  morning  through  a  small  town 
close  by  called  Vielseck. 

We  started  quite  early,  and  dined  at  Vielseck.  When  Gen- 
eral Keith,  who  commanded  the  division,  heard  we  were  there, 
he  sent  us  a  guard  of  honor  composed  of  light  infantry.  They 
all  had  boots  on,  and  in  our  honor  wore  gaiters  over  them.  I 
never  saw  anything  funnier  than  their  dress,  which  appeared 
still  more  singular  to  me,  accustomed  as  I  was  to  the  neatness 
and  smartness  of  the  Prussian  troops.  General  Keith  came  at 
once  to  pay  us  his  respects.  He  was  an  Irishman,  very  civil, 
and  possessing  great  knowledge  of  character.  He  asked  us  to 
wait  a  few  moments,  as  he  wished  his  troops  to  be  drawn 
up  in  battle  order.  The  soldiers  were  very  small,  badly 
dressed,  and  quite  wanting  in  smartness.  The  general  granted 
me  the  lives  of  two  deserters,  who  were  to  have  been  hung. 
He  had  them  brought  before  me,  and  they  threw  themselves 
down  at  my  feet,  knocking  their  heads  with  such  violence  on 
the  ground  that  I  am  certain  had  they  been  other  than  Rus- 
sian they  must  have  been  broken.  I  also  saw  their  priest,  who 
made  many  profound  bows,  at  the  same  time  expressing  his 
regret  that  he  had  not  brought  his  images  with  him  in  my 

*  Two  hundred  and  twenty-five  pouuds. 


382        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

honor.  This  nation  really  somewhat  resembles  the  animals, 
for  they  drank  out  of  the  puddles  and  ate  poisonous  mush- 
rooms and  grass  without  taking  any  harm.  As  soon  as  they 
reached  their  quarters,  the  soldiers  almost  crept  into  the  stoves, 
and  having  got  into  a  fearful  state  of  heat  threw  themselves 
into  cold  water,  where  they  remained  for  some  time.  They 
declare  that  this  is  the  best  way  of  preserving  the  health. 
We  took  leave  of  General  Keith,  and  went  back  to  our  mon- 
astery, whence  we  afterwards  returned  to  the  Brandenburger. 

I  have  forgotten  to  mention  that  my  birthday  was  celebrated 
on  the  3d  of  August.  The  Margrave  had  made  me  presents 
of  some  beautiful  jewels,  an  increase  to  my  income,  and  the 
Hermitage.  The  addition  to  my  income  I  accepted  only  the 
following  year.  I  spent  the  whole  month  of  August  in  having 
the  roads  leading  to  the  Hermitage  mended  and  making  new 
ones.  I  drove  there  daily,  and  amused  myself  in  forming  plans 
for  increasing  the  beauty  and  comfort  of  the  place. 

At  this  time,  too,  we  received  a  pleasant  addition  to  our  so- 
ciety in  the  person  of  M.  von  Beaumont,  major  of  the  Mar- 
grave's Imperial  regiment,  and  Count  Borkhausen,  a  captain  in 
the  same  regiment.  The  latter  was  the  nephew  of  my  gov- 
erness, for  whose  maintenance  the  Margrave,  who  was  much 
attached  to  him,  had  hitherto  provided.  He  was  very  clever, 
but  most  imprudent.  His  father,  a  most  respectable  man,  be- 
longing to  one  of  the  oldest  Silesian  families,  had  found  it 
possible  to  run  through  a  fortune  of  four  hundred  thousand 
thalers,*  make  debts  besides,  and  thereby  entirely  ruined  his 
children.  These  lived  in  Silesia,  supported  by  friends  and  my 
governess.  Count  Borkhausen,  since  I  had  married,  had  often 
come  to  Baireuth.  He  was  desperately  in  love  with  his  cousin, 
Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz,  who,  however,  treated  him  with  a 
haughty  coldness  that  drove  him  distracted,  and  caused  him  to 
commit  many  follies,  which  did  him  much  harm.  I  shall  again 

*  Sixty  thousand  pounds. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUT1I.         383 

have  occasion  to  mention  this  love  affair,  as  it  is  intimately 
connected  with  the  course  of  this  narrative. 

My  governess  also  let  her  two  other  nieces  (Marwitz)  come 
to  Baireuth — the  elder  named  Albertine,  the  younger  Caroline. 
I  shall  always  mention  them  by  their  Christian  names  to  dis- 
tinguish them  from  their  eldest  sister.  The  younger  had 
scarcely  been  a  fortnight  at  Baireuth  before  she  made  a  con- 
quest. She  was  very  pretty,  with  a  lovely  complexion,  and 
most  gentle,  winning  manners. 

As  soon  as  the  Margrave  succeeded  to  the  throne  he  had 
added  to  my  Court.  Count  Schonburg  became  my  chamberlain, 
and  a  certain  M.  von  Westerhagen,  gentleman-usher.  Schon- 
burg was  the  son  of  a  reigning  count  of  the  empire.  His  fa- 
ther, who  was  still  living,  was  very  rich.  All  the  young  ladies 
of  Baireuth  vied  with  one  another  in  trying  to  make  a  con- 
quest of  Schonburg,  but  all  in  vain.  Caroline's  beautiful  eyes 
had  enchained  his  affections.  He  was  passionately  in  love 
with  her,  and  she  entertained  a  high  regard  for  him.  They 
became  intimate  friends,  and  I  shall  mention  later  the  results 
of  this  friendship. 

As  regards  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz,  I  loved  her  dearly, 
and  we  had  no  secrets  from  each  other.  Indeed,!  think  there 
never  existed  such  perfect  confidence  as  between  us ;  she  could 
not  live  without  me,  nor  I  without  her.  She  asked  my  advice 
in  everything  she  did,  and  won  the  approbation  of  every  one. 

We  went  into  the  park,  where  the  Margrave  intended  to 
shoot  stags.  It  was  but  an  hour's  distance  from  the  town,  and 
as  only  a  select  party  was  invited  we  amused  ourselves  ex- 
tremely. AVe  had  a  ball  every  day,  and  danced  six  hours  in  a 
very  badly  paved  hall,  so  that  we  made  our  feet  quite  sore. 
The  exercise  did  me  much  good,  and  we  were  in  the  best  of 
spirits.  The  Margrave  loved  society  and  amusement.  His  re- 
fined, courteous  manners  endeared  him  to  all,  and  we  lived  in 
perfect  harmony. 

Peace  seemed  returning  everywhere.     The  negotiations  be- 


384         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

tween  the  emperor  and  France  had  commenced,  and  peace  was 
concluded  during  the  winter.  The  Spaniards  retained  posses- 
sion of  Naples  and  Sicily,  which  they  had  taken  from  the  em- 
peror. The  Duke  of  Lorraine  gave  up  his  duchy  to  France, 
and  received  in  exchange  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Tuscany.  France 
and  Spain  joined  in  the  Pragmatic  Sanction.  In  this  manner 
peace  was  restored  to  Germany. 

The  Margrave  had  not  yet  received  the  homage  of  his  sub- 
jects ;  and  this  ceremony,  which  took  place  on  our  return  to 
Baireuth,  was  to  be  repeated  at  Erlangen.  The  Bishop  of 
Bambcrg  and  Wiirzburg,  who  was  at  this  moment  residing  in 
his  beautiful  country-seat  of  Pommcrsfelden,  close  to  Erlangen, 
invited,  us  there,  as  well  as  the  Margrave  and  Margravine  of 
Anspach,  hoping  by  that  means  to  bring  about  a  better  under- 
standing between  us. 

M.  von  Bremer,  the  Margrave  of  Anspach's  former  governor, 
was  at  Baireuth.  I  gave  him  a  kind  message  for  my  sister, 
and  asked  him  to  tell  her  that  the  bishop  was  very  proud,  and 
would  make  ridiculous  pretentions  as  to  the  titles  we  should 
give  him.  I  was  therefore  certain  that  we  should  have  some 
fuss  on  the  subject.  As  we  were  sisters,  and  each  of  us  had 
the  same  rights  and  observed  the  same  etiquette,  I  proposed 
that  we  should  come  to  an  understanding  as  to  these  points. 
I  was  of  opinion  that,  as  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world  would  be 
upon  us,  we  should  be  very  particular  in  not  giving  up  even  the 
least  of  our  privileges.  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  her  what 
she  thought  on  the  subject.  M.  von  Bremer  entirely  approved 
of  my  suggestion.  We  gave  the  title  of  "  Ihr  Liebden,"*  which 
is  less  distinguished  than  that  of  "  Highness" — only  given  to 
bishops  and  newly-created  princes  of  the  empire.  The  bishop 
wished  for  a  higher  title,  and  to  be  called  "  Your  Grace,"  and 
declined  to  call  us  "  Royal  Highnesses."  I  heard  all  this 
through  a  third  person,  and  might  have  asked  for  an  expla- 

*  This  title  has  uo  Euglish  equivalent. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIRKUTH.         385 

nation.  I  was,  however,  advised  to  leave  matters  alone,  as  I 
was  assured  that  the  bishop  would  soon  find  his  proper  level. 

M.  von  Breuier  went  to  Anspach,  and  brought  me  a  very 
satisfactory  reply  from  my  sister.  She  would  do  just  as  I 
thought  right,  and  quite  approved  of  all  I  had  suggested 
through  M.  vou  Bremer.  I  have  always  insisted  on  retaining 
my  rights  and  privileges  as  a  king's  daughter,  and  the  Mar- 
grave has  always  supported  me  in  this.  In  this  present  in- 
stance I  had  his  entire  approval.  He  has  often  said  he  thought 
but  little  of  those  who  themselves  forgot  what  they  them- 
selves were.  We  started  in  November,  and  spent  the  night  at 
Baiersdorf,  and  next  day  made  our  entry  into  Erlangen.  Tri- 
umphal arches  had  been  erected.  The  magistrates  received 
us  at  the  gates  of  the  town  with  an  address,  and  handed  the 
keys  to  the  Margrave.  The  townsfolk  and  the  militia  lined 
the  streets.  The  Margrave  and  I  drove  in  a  state  carriage. 
As  we  were  in  mourning  we  were  much  bored  by  the  many 
speeches  we  were  forced  to  listen  to  during  that  day. 

Next  day  the  ceremony  of  "doing  homage"  took  place. 
There  was  a  great  banquet,  and  a  reception  in  the  evening. 
We  stayed  several  days  at  Erlangen,  and  then  went  to  Pom- 
mersfcld,  which  we  reached  at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The 
bishop,  surrounded  by  his  Court,  received  us  at  the  foot  of 
the  stairs.  After  the  first  compliments  had  been  exchanged 
he  presented  to  me  his  sister-in-law,  the  Countess  von  Schon- 
brunn,  and  his  niece  of  the  same  name,  who  was  Abbess  of 
Wiirzburg.  "  I  beg  your  Royal  Highness  to  look  on  them  as 
your  servants,"  he  said.  "  I  have  asked  them  to  come  express- 
ly for  the  purpose  of  performing  the  duties  of  hostesses  in 
my  house."  I  was  particularly  courteous  towards  these  ladies. 
The  bishop  afterwards  led  me  to  my  room.  When  we  reach- 
ed it  he  had  chairs  brought,  and  begged  me  to  seat  myself  in 
an  arm  -  chair,  and  the  conversation  was  becoming  animated 
when  the  two  countesses  entered  the  room.  I  felt  some  sur- 
prise at  missing  my  governess,  but  did  not  let  it  be  apparent. 
,  25 


386        MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

In  order  to  leave  the  room  I  pleaded  the  great  disorder  of  my 
dress,  upon  which  the  bishop  and  also  the  two  ladies  rose  and 
left. 

As  soon  as  I  was  alone  I  sent  for  my  ladies,  and  asked  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Sonnsfeld  why  she  had  not  followed  me.  "Be- 
cause I  did  not  wish  to  expose  myself  to  being  insulted,"  she 
replied.  "  These  countesses  treated  me  like  a  dog ;  they  never 
deigned  to  speak  to  me,  and  passed  by  me  without  even  look- 
ing at  me.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  assistance  of  one  of  the 
gentlemen  of  the  Court,  I  should  not  have  found  your  rooms." 
"  I  am  very  glad  to  know  this,"  I  said,  "  for  the  Margrave  prom- 
ised me  that  my  privileges  should  be  respected."  I  knew 
quite  well  that  my  governess  gives  precedence  only  to  the 
reigning  countesses  of  the  empire,  for  as  she  is  not  one  she 
cannot  claim  to  rank  before  them. 

The  Margrave  told  me  to  speak  to  Voit  about  what  had 
happened.  In  his  position  as  my  lord  chamberlain  it  was 
his  business  to  make  representations  in  my  name  on  the  sub- 
ject. I  therefore  sent  for  him,  and  told  him  my  intentions. 
M.  von  Voit  was  the  greatest  coward  on  earth  —  always  full 
of  fears  and  scruples.  He  pulled  a  long  face.  "  Your  Royal 
Highness  scarcely  appreciates  the  gravity  of  the  message  with 
which  you  have  intrusted  me,"  he  said.  "  We  are  assembled 
here  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  the  different  members  of  Fran- 
conian  society.  Is  this,  therefore,  a  suitable  moment  to  enter 
into  a  dispute  with  people  ?  The  bishop  will  treat  the  matter 
with  a  very  high  hand.  He  will  be  offended,  and  insist  on 
having  his  own  way.  If  you,  on  the  other  hand,  persist  in  the 
matter,  it  will  become  a  State  question."  I  laughed  aloud,  "  A 
State  question  ?  Well,  all  the  better,  then  !  Ladies  have  never 
before  been  concerned  in  such  matters;  it  is  something  quite 
new."  The  Margrave  looked  compassionately  at  him  and  shrug- 
ged his  shoulders.  "  That  may  be  as  you  like,"  I  added ;  "  I 
must  still  ask  you  to  let  the  bishop  know  I  have  such  respect 
for  him  that  I  should  be  grieved  to  offend  him,  but  that  he 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BA1REUTH.        387 

ought  to  have  taken  better  precautions  to  avoid  all  such  dif- 
ficulties. As  he  was  brought  up  at  the  Court  of  Vienna  he 
must  know  the  rights  belonging  to  a  king's  daughter.  Al- 
though I  considered  it  an  honor  to  have  married  the  Margrave, 
I  am  nevertheless  determined  not  to  surrender  one  iota  of  what 
is  due  to  me."  M.  von  Voit  made  many  objections ;  but  the 
Margrave  made  him  bestir  himself,  as  it  was  late,  and  it  was 
necessary  that  the  matter  should  be  put  straight  at  once. 

M.  von  Voit  spoke  in  my  name  to  the  bishop's  master  of 
the  horse,  Baron  von  Rothenhahn,  and  after  much  talk  it  was 
settled  that  the  countesses  should  take  their  departure  im- 
mediately after  my  sister's  arrival.  Matters  had  scarcely  been 
settled  when  the  Court  of  Anspach  arrived.  I  sent  at  once 
to  my  sister,  saying  I  would  come  and  see  her  as  soon  as  she 
was  alone.  I  was  not  bound  to  call  first  on  her.  My  being 
the  eldest  by  birth  gave  me  precedence  of  all  my  other  sisters, 
and  the  Margrave  also  ranked  before  the  Margrave  of  Ans- 
pach. I  had,  therefore,  double  privileges ;  but  as  we  were  of 
the  same  blood  I  never  asserted  them.  My  sister  let  me  know 
she  would  come  to  me,  which  she  did  a  few  moments  later, 
accompanied  by  her  husband.  I  thought  them  both  very 
cold  in  their  manner.  My  sister  was  expecting  to  be  confined, 
and  when  I  expressed  my  joy  at  her  prospects  she  took  it  very 
ill,  and  answered  me  very  shortly.  I  asked  her  what  I  had 
done,  but  she  would  give  me  no  answer.  As  the  bishop  en- 
tered my  rooms  she  slipped  away  to  her  own,  where  she  had 
the  gentlemen  belonging  to  the  bishop's  court  presented  to  her. 
She  mentioned  the  two  countesses,  and  gave  it  to  be  under- 
stood that  she  disapproved  of  my  conduct ;  that  she  was  not 
proud  as  I  was,  and  that,  had  she  been  there,  she  would  not 
have  tolerated  what  had  taken  place.  All  expressed  their  dis- 
satisfaction at  her  behavior. 

We  fetched  her  for  dinner,  when  I  had  the  place  of  honor 
given  me.  My  sister  would  not  sit  near  me,  but  placed  the 
bishop  between  us,  and  addressed  him  constantly  as  "  Your 


388        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

Highness,"  in  spite  of  our  former  agreement.  I  meanwhile 
adhered  to  my  determination.  I  showed  the  bishop  and  his 
Court  every  possible  civility  and  attention  which  lay  in  my 
power.  It  is  time  I  should  give  an  account  of  him. 

The  Schonbrunn  family  are  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the 
oldest  and  the  most  glorious  in  Germany.  The  empire  has  had 
many  electors  and  bishops  from  among  that  family.  The 
bishop  of  whom  I  here  speak  was  educated  in  Vienna.  His 
cleverness  and  abilities  caused  him  to  be  made  chancellor  of 
the  empire,  which  position  he  held  for  some  time.  When  the 
sees  of  Bamberg  and  Wiirzburg  became  vacant  by  the  death  of 
the  bishops,  the  Court  of  Vienna  took  this  opportunity  of  re- 
warding the  chancellor's  services.  It  managed  to  bribe  the 
voters,  by  which  means  he  was  elected  prince  and  bishop  of 
these  two  sees.  He  was  held,  and  rightly  so,  to  be  a  genius 
and  a  great  politician.  His  character  is  in  accordance  with  the 
last-named ;  for  he  was  deceitful,  refined,  and  false,  but  with 
courteous  manners.  His  cleverness  was  not  of  an  agreeable 
kind,  for  he  was  too  pedantic.  You  could,  nevertheless,  get 
on  very  well  with  him  when  you  once  knew  him — especially  so 
if  you  took  advantage  of  his  great  learning.  I  was  fortunate 
enough  to  meet  with  his  approbation,  and  we  often  spent  four 
or  five  hours  conversing  alone  together,  the  time  seeming  to 
pass  very  quickly.  He  told  me  many  interesting  circumstances, 
which  were  all  new  to  me.  There  was  no  subject  which  we 
did  not  discuss. 

As  soon  as  dinner  was  over  I  accompanied  my  sister  to  her 
room,  and  the  bishop  then  took  me  to  mine.  It  was  bitterly 
cold.  I  lay  down  at  once,  and  soon  went  to  sleep.  I  had  hard- 
ly been  asleep  an  hour  when  the  Margrave  woke  me,  saying  that 
they  were  trying  to  break  open  the  door  into  my  room.  The 
door  led  into  a  passage  in  which  a  hussar  was  posted  as  sen- 
tinel. I  listened,  and  when  I  heard  some  one  working  at  the 
door  I  gently  called  my  people,  telling  them  to  go  and  see 
what  was  the  matter,  and  they  really  found  the  hussar  engaged 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.         389 

in  trying  to  force  the  door.  He  begged  the  Margrave  to  show 
him  mercy,  and  for  God's  sake  not  to  expose  him,  which  my 
husband  was  generous  enough  to  promise  him. 

Next  morning,  as  soon  as  I  was  up,  I  went  over  the  whole 
castle,  which  is  large.  The  main  building  stands  alone  between 
the  two  wings,  which  arc  not  connected  with  it.  Its  shape  is 
square,  and  at  a  distance  it  appears  to  be  a  solid  mass  of  stone. 
Its  exterior  has  many  faults,  but  once  within  the  court-yard 
your  first  impression  undergoes  an  entire  change,  and  you  be- 
come aware  of  the  vastness  of  its  structure.  A  flight  of  six 
steps  leads  up  to  a  low  portico,  which  much  spoils  the  appear- 
ance of  the  castle,  and  by  which  you  enter.  Here  a  fine  stair- 
case directs  your  attention  to  the  great  height  of  the  building? 
its  vaulted  roof,  nowhere  supported,  seeming  to  depend  on  its 
own  balance.  This  roof  is  painted  on  chalk.  The  balustrade 
of  the  staircase  is  of  white  marble,  and  decorated  with  statues. 
The  stairs  lead  up  to  a  large  hall  with  a  marble  floor,  and  thence 
you  pass  into  a  large  room,  much  gilt  and  hung  with  pictures. 
Among  these  are  works  of  celebrated  masters — Rubens,  Guido 
Reni,  Paul  Veronese,  etc. ;  yet  I  did  not  admire  the  whole  ar- 
rangement of  the  room,  which  reminded  me  more  of  a  chapel. 
This  room  led  to  a  succession  of  others,  all  containing  pictures. 
One  of  them  is  hung  with  leather,  which  is  of  great  value,  as 
there  are  paintings  by  Raphael  on  it.  The  picture-gallery  was 
the  finest  part  of  the  castle.  Here  lovers  of  painting  could 
satisfy  their  artistic  passion.  As  I  love  this  art  dearly,  I  spent 
several  hours  in  admiring  the  pictures.  • 

On  this  day  as  well  as  the  next  I  dined  alone  with  my  sister, 
our  two  mistresses  of  the  robes,  and  two  ladies  from  Anspach, 
because  the  Margrave  went  out  shooting  each  day  with  the 
bishop,  and  returned  home  only  at  five  in  the  afternoon.  As  I 
spent  the  whole  day  with  my  sister,  who  sulked,  I  found  the 
time  pass  very  slowly.  After  the  princes  had  returned,  we  all 
assembled  in  the  large  room  to  listen  to  what  was  called  a 
"serenade."  This  "serenade"  is  a  selection  from  some  opera. 


390        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

The  music  was  horrible.  After  this  we  went  to  supper,  and 
got  to  bed  dead  tired  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

An  expedition  was  proposed  to  us,  which  sounded  very 
"  spiritual."  We  were  to  go  to  Bamberg,  dine  there,  and  visit 
the  churches.  I  let  my  sister  know  that  if  she  went  I  would 
also  go ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  she  would  rather  not  I  would  stay 
at  home  to  keep  her  company.  She  sent  me  word  she  should 
much  like  to  go  to  Bamberg,  and  that  I  was,  therefore,  to  ac- 
cept the  proposed  expedition.  As  the  princes  were  going  to 
shoot  near  Bamberg,  they  would  join  us  there  for  dinner.  I 
was  called  at  seven  in  the  morning,  and  told  to  dress  and  get 
ready  to  start,  as  Bamberg  was  a  good  four  hours'  journey,  and 
that,  as  the  shooting  would  last  but  a  short  while,  I  should 
scarcely  have  time  to  see  anything  unless  I  left  early.  I  got 
grutnblingly  out  of  bed,  for  I  was  ill,  and  the  fatigues  and  the 
cold  soon  upset  my  health. 

As  soon  as  I  was  ready  dressed  I  went  to  my  sister's  room, 
and  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  her  in  bed.  She  said  she  was 
indisposed,  and  would  not  go  to  Bamberg.  She  seemed  to 
have  nothing  the  matter  with  her,  and  was  sitting  up  in  her 
bed  working.  I  told  her  I  should  have  been  glad  had  she  let 
me  know  this  sooner.  I  had  inquired  after  her  health,  and 
was  told  she  was  quite  well.  Her  mistress  of  the  robes,  Ma- 
dame von  Budenbrok,  shrugged  her  shoulders,  and  hinted  to 
me  that  it  was  merely  a  fit  of  temper.  She  induced  my  sister 
at  length  to  get  up  and  dress.  I  never  saw  any  one  take  a 
longer  time  over  that  operation,  for  she  was  at  least  two  hours. 

Two  splendid  state  carriages  were  waiting  for  us,  one  of 
which  was  intended  for  my  sister,  the  other  for  myself.  I 
asked  if  we  should  not  drive  together,  and  on  her  declining  to 
do  so,  I  asked  her  to  get  into  her  carriage.  She  exclaimed, 
"  My  goodness,  no — you  rank  before  me;  I  will  not  get  in  first." 
"  We  are  sisters,"  I  replied,  "  and  I  never  pay  attention  to 
rank  with  them,  nor  will  I  enter  into  a  dispute  with  them 
about  it."  The  bishop's  master  of  the  horse,  who  was  very 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        391 

blunt,  now  took  me  by  the  hand  .and  led  me  to  my  carriage, 
saying,  "Here  is  your  Royal  Highness's  carriage;  have  the 
goodness  to  get  into  it."  I  did  so,  accompanied  by  Madem- 
oiselle von  Sonnsfeld,  and  had  not  even  time  to  ask  for  my  fur 
cloak.  We  drove  at  a  footpace,  and  were  starved  with  cold. 
Our  feet  and  hands  were  so  benumbed  that  we  could  not  move 
them.  I  told  the  coachman  to  drive  faster,  which  he  did,  and 
we  reached  Bamberg  in  three  hours. 

We  were  led  at  once  to  the  church,  where  the  priests  had 
laid  out  the  relics,  viz.,  a  piece  of  the  Holy  Cross  in  a  gold 
box,  two  jars  which  had  been  used  at  the  marriage  feast  at 
Cana,  bones  of  the  Virgin,  a  small  piece  of  Joseph's  coat,  and 
the  skulls  of  the  Emperor  Frederick  and  the  Empress  Kuni- 
gnnde,  the  patrons  of  Bamberg  and  founders  of  its  Chapter. 
The  empress's  teeth  seemed  to  be  of  the  length  of  those  of  a 
wild-boar. 

I  was  so  frozen  that  I  could  not  walk,  so  got  into  the  carriage 
again  and  drove  to  the  castle.  I  was  taken  to  the  rooms  pre- 
pared for  me,  where  I  was  seized  with  such  pains  in  my  lirnbs 
that  my  ladies  undressed  me,  and  rubbed  me  till  some  warmth 
began  to  return  to  my  body. 

As  soon  as  my  sister  arrived  I  sent  to  inquire  how  she  felt, 
and  excused  myself  from  coming  to  her.  She  sent  me  word 
that  as  she  was  very  tired  she  intended  lying  down  and  getting 
some  sleep,  and  begged  me  not  to  come  to  her  room.  I  sent 
several  times,  but  was  always  told  that  she  was  resting.  Thanks 
to  the  care  of  my  ladies  I  soon  felt  better,  and  as  the  time 
seemed  very  long  I  began  to  play  at  "  Toccadille." 

The  princess  did  not  arrive  till  six  o'clock.  They  dined  at 
a  special  table,  while  our  dinner  was  served  in  my  room.  When 
my  sister  joined  me  she  looked  very  cross;  and  her  whole 
Court,  her  ladies  in  particular,  were  very  sulky,  and  seemed  to 
take  pleasure  in  making  rude  speeches.  I  appeared  not  to  ob- 
serve anything,  and  behaved  as  if  their  conduct  were  beneath 
my  notice. 


392         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTIT. 

After  dinner  I  followed  my  sister  into  a  small  room,  where 
we  had  coffee.  I  then  told  her  that  I  saw  perfectly  well  that 
she  was  put  out  with  me,  and  begged  her,  therefore,  to  tell  me 
what  was  the  matter.  Had  I  been  unfortunate  enough  to  of- 
fend her,  I  should  be  only  too  anxious  to  make  amends.  She 
answered  me  very  coldly,  and  said  she  was  not  in  the  least  an- 
noyed with  me,  but  that  she  felt  ill,  and  that  made  her  cross. 
She  then  became  very  thoughtful  and  silent.  I  sat  down  op- 
posite her  and  imitated  her  example.  The  bishop  relieved  me 
from  this  painful  position  by  leading  me  back  to  my  carriage, 
into  which  I  again  got  with  my  governess.  "  I  am  in  despair," 
she  said  to  me,  "  for  the  devil  seems  let  loose  among  the  Court 
of  Anspach.  They  have  insulted  my  sister  and  Mademoiselle 
von  Marwitz  in  a  terrible  way.  -Mademoiselle  von  Zoch  has 
made  most  insolent  remarks,  and  I  was  only  in  time  to  separate 
them  before  they  came  to  blows.  They  have  dared  to  say  that 
your  Royal  Highness  had  ordered  the  coachman  to  drive  the 
Margravine  of  Anspach  so  fast  in  order  that  she  might  have  a 
premature  confinement.  They  are  full  of  lamentations  at  the 
way  in  which  the  princess  had  been  shaken  about."  I  was  quite 
furious  when  I  heard  all  this,  and  wished  to  have  satisfaction 
given  me  for  these  unjust  accusations.  My  governess,  however, 
represented  to  me  that  I  had  best  leave  matters  alone,  to  which 
I  at  last  consented,  and  behaved  as  if  I  had  not  heard  anything. 

As  my  sister  would  not  appear  at  supper,  and  1  also  made 
my  excuses  to  the  bishop,  my  ladies  came  and  told  me  the 
whole  story.  I  saw  at  once  that  we  must  behave  with  caution, 
unless  we  wished  the  matter  publicly  talked  about.  I  there- 
fore desired  my  ladies  to  let  the  matter  rest,  and  to  treat  the 
Anspach  ladies  with  perfect  civility,  for  I  knew  the  blame  of 
all  this  gossip  would  fall  back  on  them.  I  had  not  been  mis- 
taken, for  I  found  next  day  that  every  one  knew  the  story. 
The  Margrave  of  Anspach  was  himself  furious  at  the  things 
which  had  been  said  of  me,  and  expressed  his  opinion  to  the 
authors  in  very  angry  terms. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         393 

Two  days  after  this  we  took  our  departure,  and  returned  to 
Erlangcn.  I  there  lost  a  little  Bologna  dog  I  had  had  for  nine- 
teen years.  He  had  been  my  companion  in  all  my  hours  of 
trial  and  trouble,  and  I  felt  his  loss  keenly.  This  race  of  dogs 
is  very  clever,  and  I  have  seen  some  so  intelligent  that  speech 
alone  seemed  wanting  to  enable  them  to  express  their  thoughts. 
I  think  Descartes's  theory  very  ridiculous  in  this  respect.  A 
dog's  fidelity  is  very  precious  to  me,  and  I  think  they  possess 
this  virtue  in  a  far  greater  measure  than  human  beings,  who 
are  capricious  and  unstable.  If  I  entered  more  minutely  into 
this  subject  I  could  give  proofs  that  animals  possess  as  much 
sense  as  human  beings.  However,  I  am  writing  my  memoirs 
and  not  the  praises  of  animals,  though  these  remarks  may  serve 
as  the  funeral  oration  of  my  dog.  We  stayed  a  few  days  at 
Erlangen  and  then  returned  to  Baireuth. 

Nothing  of  importance  took  place  in  the  year  1736.  I  have 
already  mentioned  that  peace  was  concluded  between  the  em- 
peror and  France.  It  was  owing  to  this  fact  that  the  Austrian 
troops  marched  through  Germany,  which  was  a  most  unfavor- 
able circumstance  for  the  princes  of  the  empire  ;  for  they  had — 
most  unjustly,  too — to  provide  for  the  troops  as  they  marched 
through  the  different  principalities.  We  could  not,  however, 
alter  this,  but  endeavored  to  reap  advantages  from  it,  and  daily 
received  a  large  number  of  guests.  The  Austrian  officers  were, 
for  the  most  part,  very  amiable,  and  so  were  those  of  their 
wives  whom  I  saw.  We  were  very  merry  together,  and  there 
was  a  ball  every  evening.  My  health  also  began  to  improve. 

I  gave  a  beautiful  fete  on  the  10th  of  May,  the  Margrave's 
birthday,  in  one  of  the  large  rooms  of  the  castle.  I  had  ar- 
ranged a  sort  of  "  Parnassus."  A  very  good  singer  I  had  pro- 
cured represented  Apollo,  and  nine  beautifully  dressed  ladies 
the  Muses.  Below  the  "  Parnassus  "  a  stage  for  the  audience 
had  been  erected.  Apollo  sang  a  cantata,  in  which  he  desired 
the  Muses  to  celebrate  the  happy  day.  These  at  once  rose 
from  their  seats  and  danced  a  ballet. 


304        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAlREUTH. 

Below  the  stage  for  the  audience  a  large  table  was  laid  for 
fifty  people ;  the  rest  of  the  room  was  decorated  with  symbols 
and  green  boughs,  and  we  all  represented  the  other  gods  of 
heathendom.  I  never  saw  anything  finer  than  this  fete.  Ev- 
erybody was  full  of  admiration  at  it. 

Since  the  Margrave  had  obtained  Ellerot's  assistance,  his  af- 
fairs began  to  improve.  An  increase  in  the  income  that  was 
found  was  kept  secret,  as  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  gentlemen 
of  the  finance  chamber  would  have  endeavored  to  reap  a  per- 
sonal advantage  from  it.  The  Margrave  dismissed  all  those 
gentlemen  and  appointed  others  in  their  place.  Ellerot  was, 
moreover,  fortunate  enough  to  discover  all  the  debts,  and  money 
that  had  for  years  been  owing  to  the  Margrave  was  now  paid. 
Thus,  after  struggling  with  poverty,  we  suddenly  found  our- 
selves transformed  into  rich  people. 

This  year,  which  had  seen  the  conclusion  of  one  war,  now 
witnessed  the  commencement  of  another.  Russia  fought  with 
the  Turks.  She  had  helped  Austria  with  those  twelve  thou- 
sand men  only  on  condition  that  she  might  break  her  truce  and 
attack  the  Turks  in  Hungary.  All  the  emperor's  troops  began 
to  concentrate  themselves  there,  and  one  may  well  date  the 
decline  of  the  Austrian  House  from  that  circumstance. 

About  this  time  the  emperor  celebrated  the  marriage  of  his 
daughter,  the  Archduchess  Marie  Therese,  to  the  new  Archduke 
of  Florence. 

The  Prince  of  Wales  also  was  married  in  this  year  to  the 
Princess  of  Saxe-Gotha.  The  king  arranged  this  marriage,  in 
which  the  affections  of  the  prince  played  no  part.  The  princess 
was  neither  handsome  nor  clever.  They  lived,  nevertheless,  very 
happily  together.  I  must  now  return  to  my  narrative. 

We  spent  the  finest  part  of  the  year  in  the  Brandenburger. 
The  Margrave  was  there  taken  ill,  being  attacked  with  violent 
headaches  and  fainting  fits,  which,  however,  did  not  prevent 
his  going  out,  but  made  me  terribly  anxious.  There  is  no 
complete  happiness  in  this  world.  I  had  everything  I  could 


MEMOIRS   OF  THE   MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH.        395 

wish  for,  but  the  fear  I  was  in  about  this  precious  life  destroy- 
ed all  my  feelings  of  satisfaction.  The  doctors  led  me  to  ap- 
prehend that  the  attacks  my  husband  suffered  from  were  of  an 
apoplectic  nature.  I  was  often  almost  wild  with  despair,  and 
did  not  know  what  I  did.  At  last,  however,  my  husband's 
health  improved,  and  I  was  relieved  of  my  anxiety. 

Since  my  husband's  accession  he  had  endeavored  to  win  the 
King  and  Queen  of  Denmark's  friendship.  As  the  queen  was 
the  daughter  of  a  younger  prince,  and  received  an  annuity,  she 
had  no  dowry.  This  was  a  rule  in  the  House  of  Brandenburg, 
otherwise  the  annuities  and  dowries  to  be  paid  would  have 
been  endless,  and  at  last  have  ruined  the  family.  The  queen 
let  the  Margrave  know  that  if  he  would  give  her  a  dowry  she 
would  endeavor  to  let  him  reap  a  fourfold  advantage  from  do- 
ing so.  The  Margrave,  who  trusted  her  promise,  agreed  to  her 
proposal. 

The  king  and  queen  were  to  make  a  stay  at  Altona,  and  in- 
vited the  Margrave  to  come  there,  letting  him  know  that  the 
queen  had  the  intention  of  showing  him  her  gratitude  in  a 
most  marked  manner.  Some  business  delayed  the  Margrave's 
departure.  The  king  sent  a  messenger  to  tell  him  that  he 
should  remain  only  a  fortnight  at  Altona,  and  therefore  if  he 
wished  to  see  him  he  must  hasten  his  journey. 

The  Margrave  started,  intending  to  travel  day  and  night, 
that  he  might  meet  his  uncle  and  the  king  at  Altona.  In  order 
to  reach  that  town  it  is  necessary  to  pass  through  my  father's 
domains,  and  through  Halberstadt,  a  town  only  fourteen  miles 
from  Altona.  My  husband  stopped  there  in  order  to  dine  with 
General  Marwitz,  and  was  informed  that  the  king  was  expected 
there  in  two  or  three  days  to  inspect  the  troops  in  that  district. 
The  choice,  therefore,  now  remained  to  the  Margrave  to  see  the 
King  of  Denmark  or  the  King  of  Prussia.  The  disagreeables 
of  which  the  Margrave  had  to  complain  at  the  hands  of  the 
latter,  and  the  promise  he  had  given  the  former,  as  well  as  the 
advantages  which  had  been  held  out  to  him,  induced  him  to 


396        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

proceed  on  his  journey.  He  explained  to  General  Marwitz  all 
the  reasons  that  led  him  to  act  thus,  and  begged  him  to  explain 
matters  to  the  king.  He  also  asked  him  to  assure  my  father 
that,  should  he  be  at  Berlin  when  he  returned,  he  would  not 
fail  to  come  there  to  pay  him  his  respects.  My  husband  after 
this  continued  his  journey. 

He  left  Halberstadt  in  the  afternoon  and  reached  Brunswick 
at  noon  next  day.  His  old  friend,  the  duke,  and  my  sister  re- 
ceived him  there  most  kindly.  He  thence  went  to  Zelle,  where 
he  found  letters  from  Altona  telling  him  of  the  King  of  Den- 
mark's dangerous  illness.  He  therefore  rested  there,  and  ar- 
rived a  few  days  later  at  Altona. 

The  lord  chamberlain  and  the  whole  Court  received  him  in 
a  house  that  had  been  prepared  for  his  reception,  as  there  was 
no  room  in  the  king's.  The  queen,  his  uncle,  and  his  aunt 
received  him  most  affectionately.  The  queen  had  been  very 
handsome,  but  constant  fatigues  and  bad  health  had  left  mere 
traces  of  her  former  beauty.  Her  mother,  the  Margravine  of 
Culmbach,  who  had  never  left  her  since  she  married,  ruled  her 
completely,  as  well  as  the  king  and  the  whole  Court.  She  was 
very  clever,  and  in  order  to  retain  her  influence  she  had  made 
the  queen  and  the  Court  great  bigots.  As  the  king  was  by 
nature  very  fond  of  society  and  amusements,  she  endeavored  to 
counteract  these  fancies  by  making  the  most  innocent  things 
questions  of  conscience.  The  duke  had  many  good  qualities, 
but  was  not  clever;  and  in  this  the  queen  had  no  advantage 
over  him,  for  she  was  as  little  intelligent  as  lie  was.  The  Mar- 
gravine had  therefore  no  difficulty,  and  easily  persuaded  them 
to  accept  her  views.  The  Court  still  retained  an  appearance 
of  greatness,  but  really  resembled  a  monastery,  where  nothing 
was  done  but  praying  all  day.  My  husband  said  he  had  never 
known  the  days  to  pass  so  slowly  as  there.  He  was  over- 
whelmed with  honors  and  fair  words ;  but  of  the  promises  made 
him  none  were  mentioned,  and  he  was  glad  when  he  was  able 
to  take  his  departure. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        397 

As  the  king,  my  father,  had  started  for  Prussia,  the  Margrave 
returned  straight  to  Baireuth,  in  spite  of  my  brother's  begging 
him  to  await  the  king's  return  at  Brunswick.  I  received  a 
most  disagreeable  letter  from  my  brother  on  the  subject  of  the 
Margrave's  journey.  It  was  written  in  a  tone  very  different 
from  that  in  which  he  had  ever  written  to  me  before.  It  ran 
as  follows : 

"  I  have  received  your  letter,  dearest  sister.  If  I  am  to  write 
with  my  accustomed  candor,  I  must  tell  you  I  cannot  possibly 
approve  of  the  Margrave's  passing  only  a  few  miles'  distance 
from  a  place  where  the  king  was  immediately  expected  with- 
out paying  him  his  respects.  To  tell  the  truth,  it  is  looked  on 
as  a  great  piece  of  rudeness  on  his  part,  and  I  must  confess  I 
am  of  the  same  opinion.  The  Margrave  can,  however,  make 
up  for  it  by  coming  to  Berlin  when  the  King  of  Prussia  re- 
turns there.  I  own  I  am  not  surprised  at  the  king's  displeas- 
ure at  such  behavior.  It  shows  such  want  of  respect  towards 
a  king  who  is  at  the  same  time  his  father-in-law.  I  doubt  very 
much  whether  your  husband  will  ever  obtain  any  advantages  at 
the  hands  of  the  King  of  Denmark ;  and  assuredly  he  will  never 
receive  such  as  those  he  owes  the  king,  inasmuch  as  he  possess- 
es such  a  treasure  as  yourself.  I  should  have  much  more  to 
say  on  this  subject,  but  I  must  content  myself  with  the  assur- 
ance of  being,"  etc.,  etc. 

Although  the  concluding  words  made  up  somewhat  for  the 
beginning,  I  thought  the  letter  very  harsh.  The  expression 
"  rudeness "  seemed  to  me  very  strong,  and  the  whole  tone 
struck  me  as  strange.  My  brother  was  much  changed  towards 
me  since  his  return  from  the  Rhine.  All  his  letters  were  forced, 
and  betrayed  a  certain  shyness,  which  made  me  feel  his  heart- 
was  no  more  what  it  had  been.  It  pained  me  terribly.  My 
tender  feelings  towards  him  were  unchanged,  and  I  was  not  to 
blame  in  any  way.  I  therefore  bore  it  all  patiently,  and  trust- 
ed in  time  to  regain  his  love. 


398        MEMOIRS    OF   TH'E   MAKGBA.VINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

I  spent  the  time  of  the  Margrave's  absence  very  pleasantly 
in  the  Brandenburger.  But  can  we  be  quite  happy  separated 
from  those  we  love  ?  I  was  really  not  thoroughly  contented, 
but  endeavored  to  find  distraction  rather  than  pleasure.  I  had 
very  agreeable  companions,  in  whose  society  I  spent  my  time. 
In  the  mornings  and  evenings  I  occupied  myself  for  several 
hours  with  reading  and  with  music. 

At  the  beginning  of  these  memoirs  I  described  Mademoiselle 
von  Grumkow,  and  it  will  have  been  observed  that  in  addition 
to  her  other  faults  she  was  a  great  flirt.  She  had  already  had 
several  lovers  since  she  had  been  in  my  service,  at  which  I  was 
greatly  displeased.  Yet,  as  she  had  till  now  been  circumspect 
in  her  behavior,  I  pretended  not  to  notice  her  flirtations.  This 
girl  was  most  insolent  towards  me,  and  never  appeared  in  my 
presence  save  at  meals.  She  spent  all  her  time  with  M.  von 
Westerhagen,  my  gentleman-usher,  who  was  desperately  in  love 
with  her,  and  gave  her  beautiful  presents,  which  she  pretended 
to  have  received  from  her  father.  Although  she  had  no  attach- 
ment of  any  kind  for  myself,  and  took  no  pleasure  in  the  ful- 
filment of  her  duties  as  my  lady,  she  was  terribly  jealous  of 
Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz,  whom  she  endeavored  to  humiliate 
on  every  possible  occasion.  I  was  unable  to  put  a  stop  to  her 
behavior  on  account  of  her  father ;  but  I  endeavored,  by  broad 
hints  which  I  dropped  from  time  to  time,  to  bring  her  to  rea- 
son. It  was  in  vain  :  her  passion  for  Westerhagen  got  the  bet- 
ter of  her  prudence. 

The  Margrave  returned  at  length  on  the  1 6th  of  July.  My 
joy  knew  no  bounds,  and  he  was  also  very  happy  to  be  at 
home  again.  My  birthday  was  celebrated  by  a  charming  fete 
he  gave  in  my  honor  in  a  large  garden  belonging  to  the  castle. 
It  had  been  illuminated  with  colored  lamps,  and  a  stage  had 
been  erected  in  it.  The  scenery  consisted  of  the  large  lime- 
trees.  Diana  and  her  nymphs  appeared  on  the  stage,  and  acted 
a  little  pastoral  play.  Opposite  it  was  a  raised  platform  ar- 
ranged as  a  saloon,  and  beautifully  lighted  from  outside.  The 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        399 

day  following  this  fete  we  left  for  the  Hermitage,  which  I  will 
now  describe. 

The  Hermitage  is  situated  on  a  height  reached  by  means  of 
a  high-road  made  by  the  Margrave.  On  entering  the  Hermit- 
age is  seen  the  home  of  the  Muses  on  Mount  Parnassus — a  cave 
supported  by  four  columns,  above  which  Apollo  and  the  Nine 
Muses  are  sitting.  This  cave  is  so  cleverly  made  that  it  resem- 
bles a  real  rock.  On  one  side  is  a  covered  walk  leading  to 
another  artificial  rock,  in  which  and  hidden  by  trees  are  six 
fountains.  Under  this  rock  is  a  small  door  through  which 
you  pass  into  a  subterranean  passage,  leading  to  a  grotto  deco- 
rated with  rare  and  beautiful  shells.  It  is  lighted  from  above, 
and  there  is  a  large  fountain  in  the  centre  of  it,  and  round  it 
are  water-falls.  The  floor  is  of  marble.  On  leaving  the  grotto 
you  pass  into  a  small  court,  surrounded  by  artificial  rocks  inter- 
spersed with  trees  and  hedges.  There  is  a  large  fountain  in 
the  middle,  which  keeps  it  constantly  cool.  These  rocks  hide 
the  wings  of  the  house,  which  contain  each  four  small  cells,  or 
eight  little  dwelling -rooms,  each  comprising  a  bedroom  and 
wardrobe.  The  main  building  is  reached  through  the  court. 
On  entering  it  you  pass  into  a  large  hall,  which  has  a  fine  ceil- 
ing painted  and  gilt.  The  whole  is  composed  of  Baireuth  mar- 
ble, the  walls  gray,  with  red  marble  pillars,  of  which  the  capitals 
are  gilt.  The  floor  is  paved  with  different  colored  marble.  My 
rooms  are  situated  on  the  right-hand  side. 

First,  there  is  a  room  with  a  painted  ceiling  representing  the 
Roman  matrons  that  prevented  Rome  from  being  plundered  by 
her  enemies.  The  raised  decorations  are  all  gilt.  The  walls 
are  hung  with  yellow  damask  with  a  silver  border.  You  then 
pass  into  a  wing  which  I  have  added,  containing  a  room  with 
a  raised  gold  ceiling.  The  paintings  represent  the  story  of 
Chelonide  and  Cleobrontas.  The  wood-work  has  a  white  ground 
with  raised  gold  decorations.  Between  the  windows  and  above 
the  fireplace  are  looking-glasses.  The  walls  are  covered  with 
a  rich  blue  and  gold  stuff,  on  which  are  flowers  in  chenille. 


400        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

You  could  not  see  anything  handsomer.  After  this  comes  a 
small  room  with  Japanese  furniture  given  me  by  my  brother. 
It  cost  enormous  sums  of  money,  as  it  is  the  only  specimen  of 
its  kind  that  has  come  to  Europe — so,  at  least,  my  brother  was 
told.  Close  to  this  is  the  music-room,  of  white  marble  with 
green  panels,  each  panel  containing  trophies  of  musical  instru- 
ments,  gilt,  and  very  well  made.  Portraits  by  the  best  masters, 
in  gold  frames,  are  hung  above  these  trophies.  The  ground  of 
the  ceiling  is  white,  and  the  story  of  Orpheus  charming  the 
wild  beasts  with  his  lyre  is  represented  on  it  in  raised  work. 
All  these  decorations  are  gilt.  My  piano  and  other  musical 
instruments  are  in  this  room.  My  study  joins  it.  It  is  of 
brown  lac,  with  painted  flowers  on  it.  It  is  in  this  room  that 
I  write  my  memoirs,  and  spend  so  many  hours  in  reflection.  I 
pass  from  the  music-room  by  another  door  into  my  dressing- 
room,  which  is  quite  simple,  and  then  into  my  bedroom.  The 
bed  is  hung  with  blue  damask,  and  the  walls  with  striped  vel- 
vet. Adjoining  this  is  my  wardrobe,  which  is  very  conven- 
ient. 

The  arrangement  of  the  Margrave's  rooms  is  the  same  as 
mine,  save  that  the  rooms  are  differently  decorated.  The  first 
is  covered  with  a  kind  of  varnish,  the  composition  of  which  is 
partly  my  own  invention.  A  beautiful  painting  in  it  represents 
Alexander  burning  incense  on  the  altar,  and  Aristotle  reprimand- 
ing him  for  his  extravagance.  The  next  room  is  dark  brown. 
All  the  decorations  are  gilt,  and  consist  of  trophies  of  arms  of 
all  nations.  In  the  centre  of  the  ceiling  is  a  painting  repre- 
senting Artaxerxes  receiving  Themistocles.  The  walls  are  hung 
with  tapestry,  describing  the  story  of  that  general.  In  the 
small  cabinet  next  door  are  some  fine  pictures.  The  wood-work 
is  ebony  and  gold,  while  the  ceiling  contains  a  painting  of 
Mucius  Scajvola. 

The  next  room  is  decorated  with  Vienna  china,,  and  the 
painted  ceiling  represents  Lconidas  defending  the  pass  of  Ther- 
mopylae The  bedroom  is  hung  with  green  damask  bordered 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREDTH.        401 

with  gold.  It  may  appear  strange  that  I  should  have  taken 
historical  subjects  for  the  decorations  of  the  ceilings.  But  I 
like  all  that  is  speculative ;  and  all  these  historical  facts  repre- 
sent virtues  which  might  have  been  introduced  in  a  modern 
garb  as  allegories,  but  which  would  not  have  been  so  pleasing 
to  the  eye.  The  exterior  of  the  house  has  no  artistic  decora- 
tions. It  might  easily  pass  for  a  ruin.  It  is  surrounded  by 
beautiful  large  trees.  In  front  is  a  flower-bed,  with  a  water- fall 
behind  it.  There  are  fine  avenues  of  lime-trees,  and  on  one 
side  grass-plots,  with  a  fountain  in  the  centre. 

Near  the  house  are  ten  avenues  of  limes,  whose  branches  are 
so  thick  that  the  sun's  rays  never  penetrate  them.  Every  path 
in  the  wood  leads  to  some  hermit's  cave  or  other  device,  each 
differing  from  the  other.  I  have  a  little  hermitage  of  my  own, 
commanding  a  view  of  a  ruined  temple  built  in  imitation  of 
those  at  Rome.  I  have  dedicated  it  to  the  Muses,  and  have 
placed  in  it  the  pictures  of  all  the  famous  scientific  men  of  the 
last  century — Descartes,  Leibnitz,  Locke,  Newton,  Bayle,  Vol- 
taire, Maupertius,  etc.  Near  this  is  a  small  round  hall,  two  lit- 
tle rooms  and  a  kitchen,  which  I  have  decorated  with  old  china. 
From  these  you  pass  into  a  small  garden,  at  the  entrance  of 
which  stand  the  ruins  of  a  portico.  The  garden  is  enclosed  by 
a  shady  walk,  where  you  can  sit  and  read  during  the  greatest 
licat.  As  you  proceed,  new  objects  become  visible  —  among 
others  an  amphitheatre,  where  acting  can  take  place  in  the 
open  air.  But  I  will  go  no  further  in  my  description.  From 
all  I  have  said  it  will  be  clear  that  the  Hermitage  was  unique 
of  its  kind.  I  have  described  it  in  the  condition  in  which  it 
was  in  the  year  1744,  and  will  mention  the  improvements  I  still 
intend  making. 

I  have  probably  wasted  too  much  time  over  this  subject ;  but 
I  write  for  my  own  amusement,  and  not  with  the  idea  of  ever 
seeing  these  memoirs  published.  Perhaps  I  may  sacrifice  these 
pages  to  Vulcan,  or  perhaps  I  may  give  them  to  my  daughter. 
I  repeat  that  I  merely  write  this  narrative  for  my  own  special 
26 


402        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

satisfaction,  and  take  pleasure  in  mentioning  every  circumstance 
that  happened  to  me,  as  well  as  in  recording  all  my  thoughts. 

The  war  between  the  emperor  and  Turkey  broke  out  afresh 
this  year.  It  was  one  of  the  most  unjust  wars ;  but,  rightly  to 
understand  its  cause,  I  must  look  back  a  few  years. 

I  have  already  stated  that  Russia  sent  a  contingent  of  twelve 
thousand  men  to  Germany  to  help  the  emperor  in  his  cam- 
paign against  the  French.  The  Russian  empress  was  at  that 
time  engaged  in  hostilities  with  the  Turks,  and  had  sent  the 
Emperor  of  Germany  these  troops  only  on  condition  that  when 
he  had  made  peace  with  France  he  would  create  a  diversion, 
and  break  his  truce  with  the  Ottomans.  Accordingly,  in  the 
year  1736,  the  emperor  prepared  to  fulfil  his  engagements 
with  Russia,  and  ordered  his  troops  to  enter  Hungary.  The 
beginning  of  the  campaign  proved  successful.  As  the  Turks 
had  not  expected  to  be  attacked  from  that  quarter,  and  had  no 
army  there,  they  retreated,  and  left  the  Imperial  troops  in  pos- 
session of  Nissa  without  striking  a  blow.  In  the  year  1737, 
however,  the  luck  turned.  General  von  Seckendorf  was  in- 
trusted with  the  command  of  the  Austrian  forces,  and  behaved 
so  extremely  ill  that  the  whole  army  soon  went  to  rack  and 
ruin.  He  was  brought  before  a  court-martial  at  the  end  of  that 
year,  and  sentenced  to  life-long  imprisonment  in  the  fortress  of 
Spielberg,  thankful  to  have  escaped  so  easily.  I  marvelled  at 
the  fate  of  the  man  who  had  caused  me  so  much  trouble,  and 
who  had  been  the  scourge  of  all  the  Courts  at  which  he  had 
lived.  I  pitied  him,  and  I  cannot  say  that  his  misfortunes  af- 
forded me  even  a  moment's  satisfaction.  We  shall  see  him 
appear  again  on  the  scene,  but  I  must  now  return  to  my  own 
narrative. 

We  commenced  the  year  1737  by  receiving  a  visit  from  the 
Bishop  of  Bamberg.  Our  Court  appeared  on  this  occasion  in. 
its  full  splendor.  I  had  greatly  improved  both  the  Margrave's 
room  and  my  own.  The  acquisition  of  some  first-rate  Italian 
musicians  and  singers  had  greatly  improved  our  private  orche»- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRA.VINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         403 

tra.  Several  foreigners  who  Lad  entered  our  service  served  to 
enhance  the  brightness  of  our  Court,  which  had  happily  lost 
its  former  depressing  and  monotonous  nature.  Everybody 
who  visited  it  was  delighted  with  it,  and  the  bishop  took  his 
departure  much  pleased  with  his  stay. 

Although  my  health  was  still  very  delicate,  it  now  began  to 
improve.  The  whole  country  ardently  wished  for  an  heir.  It 
was  suggested  that  I  should  take  a  course  of  strengthening 
baths ;  and  although  my  constitution  could  not  stand  them, 
the  doctor  was  bribed  to  urge  the  necessity  of  my  using  them, 
and  I  was  obliged  to  give  in  to  the  wishes  of  the  people.  As 
Ems  was  the  least  strong  of  these  baths  in  Germany,  I  chose 
it  in  preference  to  others.  The  season  of  the  year  was,  how- 
ever, not  yet  far  enough  advanced,  so  we  went  to  Erlangen,  and 
waited  there  till  the  proper  time  arrived. 

We  made  a  very  /pleasant  stay  at  Erlangen.  It  was  there 
that  I  saw  for  the  first  time  a  pastoral  play,  in  which  the  cele- 
brated Zachini  acted.  Every  one  was  enraptured  with  the 
beauty  and  charrn  of  his  voice.  We  thought  of  nothing  else 
but  amusements,  when  the  sudden  death  of  my  nephew,  the 
hereditary  Prince  of  Anspach,  put  an  unexpected  end  to  our 
pleasures. 

I  have  already  mentioned  the  miserable  married  life  of  my  sis- 
ter with  the  Margrave  of  Anspach.  The  unhappy  relations  ex- 
isting betweem  them  had  of  late  become  much  worse,  partly  ow- 
ing to  the  Chamberlain  von  Seckendorf,  who  unceasingly  excited 
the  Margrave  against  his  wife.  The  death  of  the  young  prince 
presented  a  wide  field  to  Seckendorf's  malignity.  He  said  my 
sister  was  to  blame  for  the  sad  occurrence,  and  incensed  the 
Margrave  to  such  a  degree  against  her  that  he  swore  he  would 
never  see  her  again,  and  would  have  himself  separated  from 
her.  He  even  treated  her  shamefully,  sent  her  cruel  messages 
through  the  servants,  and  forbade  the  Court  to  see  her.  In  a 
word,  everything  was  done  that  could  possibly  humiliate  her. 

This  state  of  things  had  already  lasted  three  weeks  without 


404        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

my  knowing  anything  about  it.  At  last  some  well-intentioned 
people  informed  me  secretly  of  it,  and  begged  me  to  go  to 
Anspach  and  put  an  end  to  this  misery.  I  did  not  hesitate 
one  moment,  but  went  at  once.  The  Margrave  of  Anspach 
was  in  the  country,  seeking  comfort  for  his  son's  death  in  the 
arms  of  his  mistress.  As  soon  as  he  heard  of  my  arrival  at 
Anspach  he  returned  home.  I  found  my  sister  bathed  in  tears, 
and  so  altered  that  she  was  not  to  be  recognized.  The  Mar- 
grave never  even  looked  at  her.  He  could  not  well  avoid  din- 
ing with  us,  but  it  was  quite  apparent  that  he  was  terribly  ill 
at  ease.  I  would  not  speak  with  him  till  I  was  thoroughly 
cognizant  of  all  the  circumstances.  I  soon  found  that  M.  von 
Seckendorf  was  the  chief  cause  of  all  the  trouble.  I  therefore 
turned  to  him,  and  the  firmness  as  well  as  the  gentleness  with 
which  I  spoke  probably  made  an  impression  on  him.  He  prom- 
ised me  to  do  everything  in  his  power  to  restore  peace,  and  he 
kept  his  word. 

Everybody  combined  with  him  to  pacify  the  Margrave,  yet 
no  doubt  the  reason  of  his  listening  to  all  these  entreaties  was 
his  fear  of  me.  I  had  therefore  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  peace 
and  unity  restored,  and,  having  no  longer  anything  to  keep 
me  at  Anspach,  returned  to  Erlangen.  From  there  I  went  to 
Wertheim,  where  I  embarked  for  Ems.  Our  journey  was  very 
pleasant.  The  society  on  board  the  boat  was  agreeable  and 
the  food  good,  and  we  were  charmed  by  the  lovely  scenery. 
At  the  end  of  six  days  we  arrived  at  Ems.  We  were  very  tired 
from  our  last  day's  journey  and  a  sleepless  night  spent  on  board 
a  small  ferry-boat,  as  the  large  boat  could  not  pass  up  the  Lahn, 
on  which  Ems  is  situated.  Ems  is  a  very  pleasant  place,  sur- 
rounded by  a  citadel  of  mountains,  but  without  trees.  The 
House  of  Orange,  in  which  we  lived,  is  a  fine  building,  besides 
being  very  comfortable.  We  rested  the  first  twenty-four  hours, 
but  on  the  following  day  I  began  to  receive  people.  The  so- 
ciety was  limited  and  very  tiresome.  Madame  von  Hartenberg, 
the  wife  of  a  royal  English  chamberlain,  was  the  heroine  of 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTII.        405 

the  place.  She  had  come  to  Eras  with  her  husband  and  her 
lover,  a  M.  von  Diefenbrock.  She  was  small,  ugly,  and  repul- 
sive, very  smart,  and  a  great  flirt.  Her  ridiculous  appearance 
was  a  source  of  amusement  to  us.  The  Margrave  pretended  to 
be  in  love  with  her,  and  made  her  fine  speeches,  and  she  was 
foolish  enough  to  fall  into  the  trap,  and  wished  to  begin  the 
romance  where  it  really  ended.  It  was  not  the  Margrave's 
fault  that  she  did  so,  but  her  whole  wrath  fell  on  me.  She 
was  convinced  I  had  prevented  the  Margrave's  love  for  her, 
and  consequently  abused  me  to  every  one.  She  was,  however, 
happily  so  well  known  that  nothing  she  said  made  any  im- 
pression. 

I  began  my  "  cure,"  and  at  first  felt  pretty  well.  The  agree- 
able society  that  assembled  at- Ems  did  much  towards  making 
our  stay  there  pleasant.  Besides  other  ladies  and  gentlemen 
from  the  neighborhood,  Polnitz  arrived,  of  whom  I  have  spoken 
before.  He  told  me  much  about  Berlin,  where  he  was  a  great 
favorite  with  the  king,  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the  state 
of  affairs.  He  told  me  everybody  pitied  me,  for  the  king  had 
received  dreadful  news  of  the  Margrave — that  he  had  mistresses 
and  ill-used  me !  Surely  slander  had  never  invented  greater 
lies.  I  implored  Polnitz  to  undeceive  the  king,  which  he  did 
on  his  return. 

We  sometimes  went  out  walking,  or  rather  wading  through 
the  mud.  The  "  promenade  "  consisted  of  an  avenue  of  limes 
planted  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  You  could  never  feel  lone- 
ly, as  you  were  always  accompanied  by  pigs  and  other  domestic 
animals,  which  you  had  to  chase  out  of  your  path  by  means  of 
a  stick.  I  used  the  weakest  of  the  baths,  and  always  waited 
till  the  water  had  cooled  down.  I  had  been  recommended  to 
do  this  by  the  doctor  and  others,  as  hot  baths  were  very  preju- 
dicial to  my  health.  Zeitz,  our  own  doctor,  insisted,  however, 
that  I  should  try  the  stronger  baths.  I  tried  them,  but  was 
able  to  do  so  only  for  a  few  minutes,  for  they  were  so  hot  that 
the  room  became  filled  with  steam.  The  doctor  now  turned  to 


406        MEMOIRS    OP    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTII. 

M.  von  Voit,  in  order  that  he  might  induce  me  to  continue  using 
them,  and  although  all  the  other  doctors  remonstrated  with 
Zeitz  on  the  subject,  and  told  him  the  waters  would  kill  me,  he 
still  insisted  on  the  point.  He  told  several  people,  from  whom 
I  heard  it  afterwards,  that  if  I  only  had  a  prince,  the  rest  would 
be  immaterial  to  him.  If  I  died — well,  there  would  only  be  one 
woman  the  less  in  the  world.  My  good  genius  prevailed,  and 
prevented  my  following  his  advice.  However  much  I  was 
entreated  by  people,  I  did  not  do  what  they  asked.  As  soon 
as  I  had  finished  my  "  cure  "  I  went  to  Coblentz,  where  I  was 
shown  the  castle  and  the  town,  which,  however,  need  not  be 
further  mentioned. 

On  my  return  to  Ems  I  found  one  of  the  Landgrave  of 
Darmstadt's  gentlemen,  who  had  been  sent  by  that  prince  to 
invite  the  Margrave  most  courteously  to  come  to  Miinichbruck, 
a  country-seat  belonging  to  the  Landgrave  on  the  road  to 
Frankfort.  Much  pleased  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  this 
prince,  who  was  famed  for  his  civility  and  love  of  splendor,  the 
Margrave  accepted  the  invitation,  and  induced  me  to  accompany 
him.  We  therefore  started  next  day,  passing  by  Schlangenbad 
and  Schwalbach,  which  were  crowded  with  people.  We  spent 
the  night  at  Wiesbaden,  and  although  greatly  fatigued  I  got  up 
at  five  next  morning  to  proceed  on  our  way  to  Miinichbruck. 
I  found  two  "  originals  "  in  my  room — two  Counts  Reuss.  One 
of  them  continually  hopped  from  one  foot  to  the  other,  and  told 
me  he  was  one  of  the  Imperial  chamberlains  and  a  count  of  the 
empire.  "  I  am  much  pleased  to  learn  this,  my  dear  sir,"  I  re- 
plied; "and  I  am  sure  if  the  emperor  possesses  many  cham- 
berlains of  your  kind  the  Court  must  be  well  provided." 
"  That  is  also  the  case,"  he  said.  The  other  told  me  that  he 
lived  on  his  property  near  Frankfort,  "  because,"  he  added, 
"forage  is  much  better  there.  My  whole  pleasure  consists  in 
having  fine  horses."  He  then  told  me  the  pedigree  of  all  his 
horses,  and  explained  to  me  their  special  qualities.  I  might 
have  answered  him  that  none  could  be  better  than  he  himself. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH.        407 

At  last  I  got  into  the  carriage  to  escape  from  the  hopping  and 
horse-loving  counts.  We  arrived  at  Miinichbruck,  having  had 
a  terribly  hot  and  dnsty  journey. 

The  Landgrave  offered  me  his  hand  as  I  stepped  from  the 
carriage,  but  without  saying  a  word,  and  left  me  standing  in 
the  middle  of  the  court-yard  while  he  went  to  greet  the  Mar- 
grave, after  which  he  led  me  into  the  house.  There  I  found 
his  daughter,  the  Princess  Maximilian  of  Hesse-Cassel,  and  his 
son,  the  hereditary  prince.  I  endeavored  to  converse  with 
them.  The  Landgrave  never  answered  one  word,  his  daughter 
laughed  aloud,  and  his  son  made  low  bows.  As  soon  as  their 
father  left  the  room  they  began  to  talk,  but  of  subjects  which 
were  quite  new  to  me,  and  of  the  coarsest  and  most  improper 
nature.  I  opened  my  eyes  very  wide  and  felt  most  uncomfort- 
able. Such  a  thing  had  never  happened  to  me  before,  and 
such  society  did  not  suit  me.  The  Princess  of  Hesse  was  a 
second  Duchesse  de  Berry.  She  had  been  very  good-lookingr 
but  good  living  and  a  very  gay  existence  had  spoiled  her  com- 
plexion. Her  bold  manners  and  impudent  behavior  were  in 
accordance  with  her  opinions,  and  left  but  little  doubt  as  to 
her  real  character. 

At  last  we  sat  down  to  dinner.  In  spite  of  all  the  civility 
I  showed  the  Landgrave  he  remained  completely  silent,  till  an 
unforeseen  occurrence  gave  me  the  pleasure  of  hearing  his 
voice.  Miinichbruck  is  a  shooting  lodge  consisting  of  different 
small  pavilions,  each  of  which  contained  a  small  saloon,  with 
three  rooms  on  either  side  of  it.  These  were  all  hung  with 
different  colored  damask  bordered  with  silver.  During  dinner 
the  Princess  Maximilian  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  Goodness  me — 
oh,  goodness  me !"  I  was  quite  frightened,  as  I  feared  she 
would  be  seized  by  one  of  those  fits  of  temper  by  which  she 
was  said  to  be  frequently  attacked  during  the  day.  However, 
she  soon  called  out  to  me  that  miracles  were  taking  place ;  she 
had  never  seen  anything  so  wonderful  as  what  was  disclosed  to 
her  sight.  I  really  thought  she  had  gone  out  of  her  mind  ;  but 


408        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

when  I  saw  the  Landgrave  smiling  to  himself  in  a  strange  way, 
I  was  relieved.  The  great  wonder  consisted  in  part  of  the 
damask  hangings  having  been  rolled  up,  and  thereby  disclosing 
some  linen  decorated  in  oil  colors  beneath  it.  This  caused  the 
Landgrave  to  make  the  following  remark  to  me  :  "  Your  Royal 
Highness  perceives  that  witchcraft  is  practised  here."  This 
was  all  I  ever  heard  him  say.  I  thought  this  nonsense  very 
remarkable;  for  the  proverb  says,  "You  must  howl  with  the 
wolves." 

After  this  most  tiresome  dinner  had  come  to  an  end  I  was 
compelled  to  dance,  whether  I  wished  it  or  not.  I  was  as  tired 
as  a  dog,  and  as  there  were  only  three  ladies  present,  and  many 
"  Allemandes"  were  danced,  I  was  so  exhausted  that  I  could 
scarcely  stir.  After  much  entreaty  I  induced  the  Margrave 
to  let  us  leave  that  evening  at  seven.  It  is  only  right  that  I 
should  now  give  a  description  of  the  Landgrave  and  his  son. 

At  the  time  I  saw  the  Landgrave  he  was  eighty,  years  old, 
and  but  for  his  white  hair  you  would  not  have  thought  him 
more  than  fifty.  He  had  cancer  of  the  mouth,  which  disfig- 
ured him  greatly.  He  was  said  to  have  been  very  clever  in 
his  young  days,  but  this  had  disappeared  with  his  years.  He 
lived  on  very  bad  terms  with  his  son,  whom  he  treated  like  a 
child,  although  he  was  forty-nine  years  of  age.  The  prince 
was  very  intelligent,  very  courteous,  and  even  learned;  but  the 
bad  society  in  which  he  lived  had  made  him  so  coarse  that  his 
original  character  was  not  to  be  recognized. 

I  reached  Frankfort  very  late,  where  we  were  received  by 
the  magistrates  and  town  council  with  salvos  of  cannons.  As 
I  was  not  feeling  well  I  stayed  a  day  there,  and  visited  all  the 
sights  worth  seeing — among  them  the  "  Romer,"  which  is  the 
hall  in  which  the  emperors  dine  at  their  coronation.  Near  this 
are  several  rooms,  in  one  of  which  is  kept  the  "Golden  Bull,"* 

*  The  celebrated  "Golden  Bull"  of  the  Emperor  Charles  IV.  of  Ger- 

nianv,  so  culled  from  its  goUU'ii  seal,  was   made   Hie  fundamental  law  of 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH.        409 

which  was  shown  to  me.  I  then  went  to  the  church  where  the 
emperors  are  usually  crowned.  I  was  also  shown  the  place 
where  the  electors  assemble  on  the  day  of  election.  As  there 
are  many  descriptions  given  of  these  sights  in  other  books,  I 
pass  them  over  in  silence. 

We  left  Frankfort  next  evening  at  five  o'clock,  intending  to 
travel  all  night,  in  order  to  avoid  the  intolerable  heat.  In  spite 
of  my  being  very  ill,  I  determined  to  visit  on  our  way  Pliil- 
ippsruhe,  a  castle  belonging  to  Prince  William,  of  Hesse.  The 
castle  is  large  and  roomy,  but  very  simply  arranged  in  the  in- 
terior. The  position  is  fine,  looking  over  a  beautiful  garden, 
with  a  view  over  the  Maine,  and  a  lovely  country  beyond  it. 

The  farther  we  proceeded  on  our  journey  the  worse  I  grew, 
for  I  was  attacked  with  violent  dysentery.  During  the  night 
we  were  overtaken  by  tremendous  rain,  after  which  it  suddenly 
became  quite  cold.  The  roads  were  of  the  worst  description. 
We  were  in  the  Spessart  Mountains,  in  the  middle  of  a  wood, 
where  no  house  or  village  was  to  be  seen. 

I  arrived  early  next  morning  at  half-past  eight  in  a  small 
village  called  Eselsbach.  I  was  half  dead,  and  was  carried 
without  noticing  it  out  of  the  carriage  and  laid  on  a  bed.  The 
doctor,  who  had  arrived  long  before  I  did,  thought  me  very 
ill.  I  had  high  fever,  and  he  considered  my  condition  one  of 
great  danger.  It  was  decided  I  should  remain  next  day  in  this 
village,  and  then,  should  my  state  not  improve,  they  would  en- 
deavor to  move  me.  The  place  we  were  in  was  so  bad  it  was 
impossible  to  remain  there  any  longer.  As  I  was  rather  better 
on  the  second  day,  we  continued  our  journey  to  Wiirzburg, 
where  the  bishop  had  invited  us. 

We  were  received  there  with  all  possible  honors.     The  gar- 

the  German  Empire  at  the  Diet  of  Nuremberg  in  1356.  A  "bull"  is  a 
decree  of  the  Pope,  and  is  properly  the  seal,  deriving  its  name  from  bulla, 
and  is  made  of  gold,  silver,  lead,  or  wax.  On  the  one  side  are  the  heads 
of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  and  on  the  other  side  the  name  of  the  Pope  and 
the  year  in  which  he  reigned. 


410        MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

rison  had  turned  out  and  lined  the  streets,  and  cannons  were 
fired.  The  prince  and  his  whole  court  received  us  at  the  foot 
of  the  stairs.  The  motion  of  the  carriage  had  made  me  feel 
very  weak,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  bed.  Ill  as  I  was  I 
managed,  however,  to  drag  myself  about  to  visit  the  interior 
of  the  castle,  which  was  considered  one  of  the  finest  in  Ger- 
many. The  staircase  was  beautiful,  and  the  rooms  large  and 
roomy  ;  but  the  decoration  was,  to  my  taste,  very  ugly. 

We  left  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  I  was  better  in 
some  respects,  but  was  now  attacked  with  violent  pains  in  my 
chest,  so  that  I  was  unable  to  speak.  Having  travelled  all 
night  I  reached  Erlangen  next  day,  where  I  remained  a  fort- 
night, until  I  was  pronounced  out  of  danger.  I  remained  very 
weak,  and  my  health  was  not  re-established. 

On  my  return  to  Baireuth  I  found  Mademoiselle  von  Boden- 
bruck,  one  of  the  queen's  maids  of  honor,  there.  It  was  she 
who  had  caused  me  so  much  annoyance  at  Berlin.  She  was 
on  her  way  to  Carlsbad  to  take  the  baths.  I  was  desirous  of 
behaving  generously  towards  her,  and  overwhelmed  her  with 
civility.  My  behavior  touched  her,  and  caused  her  to  repent. 
She  gave  me  an  account  of  all  that  was  going  on  at  Berlin. 
She  told  me  the  queen  was  still  angry  with  me,  and  never 
spared  an  opportunity  of  speaking  ill  of  me.  It  was  all  the 
fault  of  my  sister  of  Brunswick,  who  was  constantly  exciting 
her  against  me,  and  inventing  stories  about  Baireuth.  Among 
other  things,  she  told  her  I  had  cared  so  little  for  the  jewels 
the  queen  had  given  me  that  I  had  sold  them,  and  bought  oth- 
ers instead  in  order  to  keep  nothing  which  had  come  from 
Berlin.  She  was  not  content  with  telling  my  mother  such 
stories,  but  served  me  in  the  same  manner  with  my  brother. 
He  had,  unfortunately,  so  much  changed  towards  me  that  he 
said  openly  my  sister  was  his  favorite.  Mademoiselle  von  Bo- 
denbruck  told  me  my  brother  was  no  longer  what  he  had  been, 
and  that  every  one  began  to  hate  him,  and  wished  I  might  re- 
gain my  influence  over  him.  In  order  to  justify  myself  with 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         411 

respect  to  the  slanders  of  my  sister,  I  showed  Mademoiselle 
von  Bodenbruck  the  jewels  the  queen  had  given  me,  which  she 
herself  knew  well.  She  promised  to  take  my  part  warmly 
with  the  queen,  and  also  to  speak  favorably  of  me  to  my 
brother,  after  which  she  left  Baireuth  laden  with  civilities  and 
presents. 

The  year  1738  seemed  to  me  to  promise  to  be  a  very  un- 
happy one.  The  Margrave  was  suddenly  taken  very  ill.  At 
first  his  malady  seemed  not  to  be  dangerous,  being  merely  a 
rush  of  blood  to  the  head.  Soon,  however,  an  attack  of  pa- 
ralysis threatened  to  put  an  end  to  his  life.  His  mouth  was 
slightly  drawn  on  one  side,  and  his  left  eye  also  suffered  and 
continually  watered.  It  did  not  disfigure  him,  however.  How 
cruelly  I  suffered  all  the  time  he  was  ill !  I  can  never  de- 
scribe my  fears  and  my  anxiety.  His  recovery  seemed  to  give 
me  fresh  life. 

My  own  health,  alas,  was  not  improving,  but  on  the  contrary 
became  daily  worse.  I  was  again  suffering  from  ague,  and  at 
the  end  of  three  months  the  doctor  said  that  there  was  no  hope 
of  curing  me.  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  and  the  Margrave 
informed  the  queen  and  my  brother  of  my  condition.  Doctors 
from  Berlin  were  sent  for,  and  the  result  of  the  consultation 
was  to  pronounce  my  state  as  hopeless.  The  last  spark  of  my 
brother's  love  for  me  was  now  kindled  afresh.  He  wrote  to  me 
that  there  was  a  very  clever  doctor  at  Stettin,  to  whom  the  king 
in  a  great  measure  owed  his  recovery  while  suffering  from  the 
dropsy.  My  brother  said  I  should  ask  my  father  to  send  him 
to  see  me.  The  letter  my  brother  wrote  to  me  on  this  occasion 
was  most  tender.  I  was  resigned  to  my  fate,  and  believed  that 
this  time  I  must  die.  Death's  approach  did  not  fill  me  with 
terror,  and  I  was  ready  to  meet  it  with  courage. 

My  only  feeling  of  sorrow  was  the  thought  of  what  my  loss 
would  be  to  the  Margrave.  I  tried  to  think,  however,  he  would, 
like  so  many  other  husbands,  after  being  in  terrible  despair  for 
a  time,  at  length  find  comfort. 


412        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

My  brother's  entreaties,  combined  with  the  Margrave's,  in- 
duced me  nevertheless  to  follow  the  advice  of  the  former.  I 
wrote  the  king  a  touching  letter,  telling  him  of  the  deplorable 
condition  I  was  in.  I  said  that,  standing  on  the  brink  of  the 
grave,  I  begged  his  forgiveness  for  any  annoyance  I  had  un- 
wittingly caused  him,  and  entreated  him  to  give  me  his  bless- 
ing. I  assured  him  of  my  tender  love  for  him,  and  finally  asked 
him,  more  for  the  sake  of  pacifying  the  Margrave  than  in  the 
hopes  of  saving  my  life,  to  send  Doctor  Supperville  to  see  me. 
The  king  answered  me  most  kindly,  and  sent  me  the  doctor, 
who  arrived  in  a  fortnight  at  the  Hermitage,  where  I  was  at 
that  moment. 

I  expected  to  meet  with  a  pedant — one  of  those  worthy  sup- 
porters of  the  faculty  that  constantly  bring  out  long  Latin 
words,  and  bore  their  patients  with  their  long-winded  talk.  I 
was,  however,  much  mistaken.  A  tolerably  good-looking  man 
appeared,  who  addressed  me  with  respect,  thereby  disclosing 
perfect  knowledge  of  the  world,  and  in  a  word  you  were  not 
aware  that  he  was  a  doctor  at  all.  He  found  me  dangerously 
ill,  but  encouraged  me,  and  gave  me  hopes  of  being  able  to  cure 
me.  It  will  be  right  of  me  here  to  describe  him. 

Supperville  was  of  French  extraction,  and  is  said  to  have 
sprung  from  a  good  family.  Every  Frenchman  that  settles  in 
a  foreign  country  becomes  as  aristocratic  as  the  king  himself, 
whether  his  father  be  a  hotel-keeper  or  footman  in  Paris.  How- 
ever, we  pass  over  this.  Supperville  had,  as  his  father  lived  at 
the  Hague,  studied  at  Utrecht  and  Leydcn.  Having  completed 
his  course  for  the  law,  he  became  secretary  to  a  minister  who 
was  sent  to  France.  Love  made  him  become  a  doctor.  He 
fell  in  love  with  a  very  rich  young  girl,  and  being  unwilling 
to  separate  himself  from  her,  came  to  a  decision  very  repug- 
nant to  him.  He  went  back  to  the  University,  and  the  ardor 
he  displayed  in  the  study  of  medicine  and  anatomy  soon  made 
him  celebrated.  The  king  took  him  with  him,  as  his  first  doc- 
tor, to  Pomcrania,  whence  his  fame  soon  spread.  He  was  ex- 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         413 

tremely  clever,  had  read  immensely,  and  was  a  great  genius. 
His  conversation  was  natural  and  pleasant,  he  understood  how 
to  joke  as  well  as  how  to  be  serious  ;  but  his  imperious  and 
jealous  nature  cast  his  other  qualities  and  talents  into  the  shade, 
and  made  him  ridiculous  to  such  a  degree  as  not  to  be  easily 
forgotten. 

After  the  account  I  have  given  of  him  here,  it  will  be  easily 
understood  that  he  soon  gained  our  approbation.  Our  Court 
had,  after  much  trouble  and  work,  greatly  changed  for  the 
better.  It  had  lost  a  certain  want  of  courtesy  and  coarseness 
that  had  formerly  existed  in  it,  but  it  was  not  yet  what  it 
ought  to  have  been.  All  composing  it  were  narrow-minded 
beings,  who  had  never  left  Baireuth,  and  who  had  no  concep- 
tion of  the  rest  of  the  world.  Books  and  the  sciences  were 
unknown  to  them.  Their  conversation  was  confined  to  shoot- 
ing, agricultural  pursuits,  and  stories  about  the  old  court-life. 
M.  von  Voit,  who  had  been  of  some  help  to  us,  had  become 
very  pious.  The  only  refuge,  therefore,  that  remained  to  us 
was  in  ourselves.  Supperville  arrived  most  opportunely,  and 
showed  himself  so  devoted  to  us  that  we  began  to  look  with 
favor  on  him.  He  made  me  use  a  "cure"  which  in  six  weeks 
got  rid  of  the  low  fever  I  was  suffering  from.  I  had  never- 
theless not  yet  entirely  recovered,  and  lie  was  therefore  of 
opinion  that  unless  I  took  the  greatest  care  and  led  a  very 
strict  life  I  might  easily  have  a  relapse. 

This  fear  one  day  caused  him  to  say  to  me  that  he  was  well 
aware  that  my  health  was  as  yet  not  by  any  means  re-establish- 
ed, and  that  his  presence  was  necessary.  He  therefore  put  his 
services  at  my  disposal,  and  assured  me  that  nothing  would 
make  him  happier  than  to  be  able  to  devote  his  whole  life  to 
the  Margrave  and  myself.  His  proposal  pleased  me  greatly, 
but  I  nevertheless  saw  many  reasons  against  it.  Supperville 
was  a  great  favorite  with  my  brother,  and  shared  in  all  his 
social  pursuits.  I  felt  certain  he  would  never  tolerate  my  de- 
priving him  of  a  person  whom  he  liked,  I  told  Supperville 


414        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGRA.V1NE    OF   BAIEEUTH. 

this  at  once.  He  answered  me  by  saying,  "  I  have  never  up 
to  the  present  time  dared  to  speak  quite  openly  with  your 
Royal  Highness ;  but  since  I  now  have  the  honor  of  knowing 
you,  I  feel  that  I  may  venture  to  do  so  without  running  the 
risk  of  making  myself  unhappy.  I  had  already  formed  the 
intention  of  leaving  the  king's  service  before  I  came  here.  I 
intended  settling  in  Holland,  but  the  pleasant  position  I  have 
found  at  this  Court  and  my  devotion  to  your  Royal  Highness 
have  caused  me  to  alter  my  plans.  I  cannot  deny  that  the 
crown  prince  is  most  kindly  inclined  towards  me,  but  I  have 
had  time  to  study  his  character  closely.  The  prince  has  great 
understanding,  but  a  bad  heart;  he  is  suspicious,  ungrateful, 
and  vicious,  and  I  am  much  mistaken  if  he  will  not  in  time 
become  more  avaricious  than  the  king,  his  father,  is  at  the 
present  moment.  He  has  no  religion,  and  his  morality  is  of 
his  own  making.  He  endeavors  to  throw  a  glamour  over  the 
public,  but  in  spite  of  his  art  of  dissembling  many  already 
know  his  true  character.  He  has  singled  me  out  at  present  in 
order  to  increase  his  scientific  knowledge,  for  learning  is  his 
greatest  passion.  When  he  has  learned  all  he  wants  from  me, 
he  will  drop  rne,  as  he  already  has  so  many  others.  It  is  for 
this  reason  that  I  have  taken  my  precautions  in  good  time." 

I  had  already  for  some  time  been  displeased  with  my  broth- 
er, and  knew  that  many  who  had  cared  for  him  shared  my 
feelings.  Yet  I  could  not  believe  it  possible  that  his  whole 
character  should  have  changed  so  completely.  I  disputed  this 
point  for  a  long  time  with  Supperville ;  but  the  Margrave,  who 
entered  the  room  at  this  moment,  took  his  part,  and  said  he 
had  long  ago  come  to  the  same  opinion.  He  gladly  accepted 
Supperville's  offer,  and  we  both  wrote  to  the  king  to  ask  his 
consent.  I  also  wrote  in  the  same  strain  to  my  brother,  and 
Supperville  started  for  Berlin  laden  with  these  letters. 

It  may  seem  strange  that  I  have  entered  so  much  into  detail 
on  the  subject;  but  it  was  necessary,  in  the  course  of  these  me- 
moirs, in  which  Supperville  plays  a  conspicuous  part. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        415 

The  king  answered  me  most  kindly  that  Supperville  was  al- 
ways at  my  disposal  whenever  I  wanted  him,  but  that  he  could 
not  entirely  give  him  over  to  me,  as  he  could  not  do  without 
him.  The  queen,  nevertheless,  wrote  to  me  that  she  hoped  still 
to  obtain  his  consent,  particularly  if  I  were  able  to  send  several 
very  tall  soldiers. 

Mademoiselle  von  Grumkow  was  married  at  the  end  of  the 
year  to  a  M.  von  Beist,  an  excellent  man  of  good  family,  but 
possessed  of  no  riches  beyond  the  four  children  left  him  by  his 
first  wife.  I  was  very  glad  to  get  rid  of  her,  and  took  two 
other  ladies  as  her  successors — Mademoiselle  Albertine  von  Mar- 
witz  and  Mademoiselle  von  Hutten.  This  latter  belonged  to  a 
celebrated  old  family. 

The  year  1*739  was  far  more  interesting  than  the  preceding. 
Supperville  returned  in  the  spring,  and  a  "cure"  which  he 
obliged  me  to  use  almost  re-established  ray  health,  ov  rather  put 
an  end  to  all  danger.  I  must  now  turn  to  another  subject. 

I  have  already  said  that  the  Margrave  had  made  a  certain 
Ellerot  his  secretary.  He  was  a  man  possessed  of  honesty  and 
cleverness,  and  understood  the  affairs  of  the  State.  He  had 
found  all  the  business  departments,  but  more  especially  the 
finance,  in  the  greatest  confusion.  This  department  had  at  first 
been  intrusted  to  a  M.  von  Dobeneck,  but  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent that  in  spite  of  all  his  self-assertion  he  understood  noth- 
ing about  it.  It  was  therefore  given  over  to  Ellerot,  to  whom 
the  Margrave  also  intrusted  his  privy  purse.  This  man's  whole 
object  was  to  find  means,  without  endeavoring  to  restore  order 
or  credit.  Several  large  claims  owing  to  the  Margrave  were 
used  to  meet  the  expenditure.  One  must  do  Ellerot  the  justice 
of  saying  that  he  rendered  the  Margrave  valuable  service,  not 
only  as  regards  the  management  of  his  state  affairs,  but  also 
foreign.  This  secured  him  the  confidence  of  his  master  to  such 
a  degree  that  he  made  him  his  private  referendary.  The  min- 
isters clamored  loudly  against  such  an  innovation,  for  it  clipped 
their  wings  aqd  took  from  them  much  of  their  importance. 


416        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

They  therefore  presented  the  Margrave  with  a  by  no  means  re- 
spectful written  remonstrance,  which  he,  being  much  offended 
at  their  behavior,  answered  most  curtly.  Ellerot  was  suspected 
of  having  written  the  reply,  and  this  made  him  many  enemies. 
A  perfect  outcry  was  raised,  and  it  was  publicly  said  that  the 
servants  had  not  been  paid,  and  that  two  quarters  were  owing 
to  them. 

I  was  the  first  to  hear  of  this,  and  was  informed,  after  inquir- 
ing privately,  that  it  was  the  case.  I  sent  for  Ellerot,  spoke 
with  him,  and  told  him  I  had  heard  that  the  finances  were  in  a 
bad  way,  and  that  the  Margrave's  privy  purse  was  in  debt.  He 
said  that  this  was  not  the  case,  and  assured  me  these  reports 
were  all  calumnies,  invented  by  his  enemies  in  order  to  bring 
about  his  fall.  I  determined,  therefore,  not  to  mention  any- 
thing of  this  to  the  Margrave,  who  had  however  already  heard 
of  it. 

Supperville,  to  whom  he  confided  his  business  matters,  rec- 
ommended him  a  gentleman  from  Berlin — a  most  honest  man 
of  great  merit — named  Hartmann,  of  whom  I  had  often  heard, 
to  take  over  the  finance  department.  Ellerot  did  not  take  it 
in  the  least  amiss,  having  long  been  desirous  of  getting  rid  of 
this  branch.  It  will,  however,  be  seen  later  that  he  was  never- 
theless much  hurt  at  Ilartmann's  appointment. 

No  sooner  had  Hartmann  arrived  than  the  storm  against 
Ellerot  burst  forth.  Young  and  old  entreated  me  to  draw  the 
Margrave's  attention  to  his  dishonesty  and  bad  management. 
I  was  too  well  acquainted  with  the  ways  of  the  world  to  inter- 
fere in  such  things.  Ellerot  was  in  high  favor,  and  this  roused 
jealousy  and  envy ;  and  as  I  believed  him  to  be  innocent,  I  took 
good  care  not  to  rouse  the  Margrave's  suspicions.  Hartmann, 
however,  confirmed  the  rumors,  and  declared  the  finances  were 
in  terrible  confusion,  and  that  half  a  year's  wages  were  owing 
to  the  servants.  In  order  to  come  to  no  hasty  conclusion  the 
Margrave  sent  secretly  for  Hartmann,  and  desired  him  to  give 
him  his  accusations  in  writing.  This  man  assured  him  of  the 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUXH.         417 

truth  of  all  he  had  said,  and  declared  he  would  convict  his  op- 
ponent. 

Ellerot  had  many  friends.  He  heard  of  the  Margrave's  se- 
cret interview,  and  as  he  had  his  own  creatures  about  the  place 
he  soon  became  aware  of  the  trick  that  was  to  be  played  him. 
He  spoke  to  the  Margrave  next  day,  protesting  his  innocence, 
and  begging  for  a  strict  inquiry  into  his  conduct.  What  more 
could  be  done  ?  The  Margrave  appointed  four  commissioners 
to  carry  out  this  inquiry.  Ellerot  was  pronounced  free  from 
all  guilt,  and  came  out  of  the  whole  proceeding  white  as  snow, 
while  his  accuser  was  sent  to  the  fortress.  We  shall  learn  the 
end  of  this  story  next  year. 

My  health  meanwhile  improved  but  very  slowly,  and  the 
complaint  I  suffered  from  seemed  to  develop  into  a  kind  of 
consumption.  Supperville  advised  change  of  air,  as  Baireuth 
was  cold  and  unhealthy  during  the  winter.  He  therefore  sug- 
gested to  the  Margrave  our  spending  a  year  at  Montpellier,  and 
proved  to  him  the  double  advantage  the  change  would  have. 
First  of  all,  it  would  help  the  restoration  of  my  health,  and  sec- 
ondly, improve  the  state  of  his  finances,  as  the  country  was 
obliged  to  vote  the  money  for  our  journey.  The  Margrave 
was  delighted  with  the  proposition,  and  at  once  informed  me 
of  it.  It  can  be  easily  understood  that  I  at  once  consented.  I 
foresaw  that  great  difficulties  would  be  made  at  Berlin ;  for  I 
knew  that  the  king  and  queen  would  disapprove  of  the  plan, 
besides  which  I  did  not  expect  to  find  much  amusement  at 
Montpellier. 

My  father-in-law,  the  late  Margrave,  had  spent  several  years 
there,  and  had  not  given  me  a  favorable  impression  of  the 
place.  I  proposed  another  plan  to  the  Margrave  and  Supper- 
ville, of  which  they  entirely  approved.  It  was  this :  to  spend  a 
few  months  at  Montpellier,  then  to  go  to  Autibes  by  sea,  and 
travel  through  Italy.  As  we  were,  however,  persuaded  that 
this  journey  would  meet  with  still  greater  disfavor  than  the 
other,  we  determined  to  keep  it  a  secret. 
27 


418        MEMOIRS    OF   TI1K    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

We  thought  it  advisable  that  the  Margrave  should  pay  a  visit 
to  Berlin,  in  order  to  remove  any  possible  opposition  and  an- 
noyance from  that  quarter.  My  husband  gladly  assented  to 
my  wishes.  He  left  in  a  fortnight,  accompanied  by  eight  tall 
men  he  had  chosen  from  his  own  body-guard,  whom  he  intend- 
ed offering  to  the  king.  His  journey  and  his  arrival  were  kept 
such  a  secret  that  no  one  heard  of  either. 

On  seeing  the  Margrave  the  king,  who  was  just  on  parade, 
evinced  the  greatest  delight.  He  at  once  alighted  from  his 
horse  and  embraced  him  several  times,  calling  him  his  dear  son. 
He  had  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  kept  repeating,  "My  God,  what 
pleasure  you  are  giving  me!  Now  I  know  that  you  do  care  for 
me  a  little."  The  king  then  led  the  Margrave  up  to  the  queen, 
who  also  received  him  most  kindly.  But  the  Margrave  rose 
still  higher  in  the  king's  estimation  next  day,  on  his  presenting 
him  with  the  eight  tall  soldiers.  My  brother  also  greeted  him 
most  warmly,  but  dissuaded  him  from  asking  any  favor  of  the 
king,  as  he  would  then,  he  said,  spoil  everything.  I  am  certmn 
the  king  would  have  granted  him  anything,  for  I  have  been 
told  so  repeatedly.  The  Margrave  was  anxious  to  remain  on 
good  terms  with  my  brother,  and  therefore  missed  the  oppor- 
tunity of  gaining  any  advantage  from  the  king's  favorable  dis- 
position towards  him.  He  not  only  received  the  consent  to 
our  journey  to  Montpellier,  but  Supperville's  resignation  was 
accepted,  and  he  was  entirely  given  over  to  us.  The  king  gave 
the  Margrave  a  gold  snuffbox,  set  with  diamonds  and  contain- 
ing his  portrait,  of  the  value  of  4000  thalers  (£600).  I  also 
received  several  presents  from  the  king  and  queen.  The  Mar- 
grave returned  to  Baireuth  after  an  absence  of  six  weeks,  very 
much  satisfied  with  the  marks  of  friendship  shown  him  at 
Berlin. 

Now  that  all  obstacles  from  that  quarter  had  been  overcome, 
we  met  with  others  from  the  principality.  The  dissatisfaction 
was  general,  and  the  people  would  not  let  us  leave.  My  gov- 
erness, whose  great  age  prevented  her  accompanying  us,  made 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         419 

a  great  to-do.  At  last,  at  the  end  of  four  weeks,  all  difficulties 
having  been  got  over,  our  departure  was  fixed  for  the  20th  of 
August. 

My  poor  Meermann*  was  very  ailing,  and  much  as  I  grieved 
to  separate  myself  from  both  these  devoted  companions  of  rny 
sorrows,  I  felt  I  would  rather  suffer  that  pain  than  expose  their 
lives  and  healths  to  any  risk.  Meerraanu's  husband  was  my 
man  of  business.  He  had  an  excellent  head,  but  was  violent 
and  vehement.  lie  wished  to  pass  as  my  favorite,  and  was 
furious  at  not  being  so.  He  ruled  his  wife  with  a  rod  of  iron, 
so  that  she  did  not  dare  stir,  and  was  frightened  to  death  of 
him.  This  man  was  bitterly  annoyed  that  I  did  not  take  him 
with  me,  and  determined  to  have  his  revenge.  He  asked  my 
permission  to  go  to  Berlin,  and  remain  there  during  my  ab- 
sence, which  I  granted  him.  At  last,  having  taken  a  tearful 
leave  of  my  governess  and  Meermann,  I  got  into  the  carriage 
with  my  husband,  accompanied  by  Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld 
and  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz,  who  were  the  only  ladies  I  took 
with  me.  Supperville  had  been  attacked  with  fever  two  days 
before,  and  awaited  us  at  Erlangen. 

We  had  barely  driven  a  mile  when  the  Margrave  was  taken 
suddenly  ill  with  violent  headache,  accompanied  by  sickness. 
We  hoped  that  it  was  nothing  but  an  ordinary  sick  headache, 
but  had  reckoned  without  our  host.  He  became  feverish,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  stay  several  hours  in  a  dreadful  little  place 
called  Traubach.  I  proposed  returning  to  Baireuth  ;  but  he 
would  not  hear  of  it,  and  insisted  on  our  getting  into  the  car- 
riage again  and  driving  to  Streitberg,  where  we  spent  the  night. 
The  fever  continued  all  night,  but  as  he  was  desirous  of  reach- 
ing Erlangen  we  brought  him  there  with  great  difficulty. 

On  our  arrival  there  we  were  told  that  Supperville  was  very 
ill  indeed.  All  the  symptoms  of  his  illness  coincided  with 
those  of  the  Margrave.  I  was  in  terrible  anxiety  about  the 

*  The  Margravine's  faithful  old  maid. 


420        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

latter,  and  was  afraid  he  was  going  to  have  some  malignant 
fever.  In  spite  of  my  consumptive  condition,  I  never  left  his 
side  for  a  moment,  and  suffered  far  more  than  he  did.  His 
condition  did  not  improve,  and  for  five  times  twenty- four  hours 
he  lay  in  this  burning  fever,  which  nothing  seemed  to  relieve. 
My  anxiety  drove  me  to  seek  Supperville,  who  was  living  in  the 
castle.  I  told  him  that  the  Margrave  was  in  so  dangerous  a  con- 
dition that  no  time  must  be  lost  in  bleeding  him.  Supperville 
replied  that  he  was  of  the  same  opinion,  and  was  only  waiting 
till  the  fever  abated  somewhat  to  carry  it  out.  I  therefore  re- 
turned to  the  Margrave,  with  whom  I  found  our  second  doctor, 
Wagner.  I  informed  him  of  my  consultation  with  Supper- 
ville and  of  his  opinion ;  but  he  declared  that  he  would  never 
consent  to  bleed  the  Margrave  at  this  moment,  as  nothing  could 
be  more  dangerous,  and  it  should  be  resorted  to  only  as  a  last 
means  in  case  there  were  no  hope  of  recovery  possible.  I  an- 
swered that  I  could  not  prescribe  what  he  was  to  do,  and  that 
he  must  settle  the  matter  with  Supperville.  He  returned  after 
a  few  moments,  and  said  Supperville  was  of  the  same  opinion, 
viz.,  to  do  nothing  hastily. 

I  remained  with  the  Margrave  till  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  when,  overcome  by  fatigue  and  anxiety,  I  at  last 
threw  myself  on  my  bed  in  a  small  room  next  his,  from  which 
I  could  see  and  hear  all  that  was  going  on,  and  soon  fell  asleep. 
I  might  have  slept  four  hours,  when  I  was  awakened,  and  as 
I  opened  my  eyes  I  saw  Wagner  standing  near  my  bed.  No 
Medusa's  head  could  have  alarmed  me  more,  and  I  thought  the 
Margrave  must  be  dying.  "  I  beg  your  Royal  Highness  not  to 
be  alarmed,"  Wagner  said ;  "  the  Margrave  is  still  in  the  same 
condition,  and  we  have  at  length  determined  to  bleed  him.  We 
thought  it  right  to  inform  you  of  our  intention,  in  order  that 
you  might  be  present." 

More  dead  than  alive  I  rose  from  my  bed.  A  poor  sinner 
led  to  his  place  of  execution  could  not  have  suffered  more  than 
I  did  at  that  moment.  I  trembled  all  over,  and  my  knees  shook 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.         421 

tinder  me.  As  the  last  means  of  help  was  to  be  resorted  to,  I 
felt  convinced  all  hope  was  at  an  end  for  the  Margrave.  In 
this  state  of  mind  I  dragged  myself  into  the  Margrave's  room, 
where  another  scene  presented  itself.  The  whole  Council  was 
assembled,  while  in  the  streets  a  crowd  had  gathered,  who 
abused  Supperville  for  his  intention  of  bleeding  the  Margrave. 
Supperville  was  quite  as  ill  as  the  Margrave,  but  never  lost  his 
head.  He  had  himself  bled  first,  to  put  an  end  to  the  uproar 
and  outcry,  and  thus  pacified  the  people's  minds. 

Throughout  all  this  I  lay  in  an  arm-chair  in  a  condition  not 
to  be  described.  I  was  incapable  of  collecting  my  thoughts, 
and  kept  staring  fixedly  at  one  spot.  At  last  the  bleeding  took 
place — and  oh,  what  joy  !  The  Margrave's  face  changed  as  the 
blood  flowed,  the  renewed  attack  of  fever  which  had  been  an- 
ticipated did  not  supervene,  and  by  the  evening  he  was  pro- 
nounced out  of  danger.  As  soon  as  his  condition  improved,  I 
observed  he  was  very  cold  in  his  manner  towards  me.  He  quar- 
relled with  me  about  every  trifle,  and  was,  on  the  other  hand, 
very  marked  in  his  manner  towards  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz, 
for  whom  he  asked  incessantly  whenever  she  was  out  of  the 
room.  He  obeyed  her  blindly  in  all  that  concerned  the  care 
of  his  health.  If  I  ventured  to  offer  a  suggestion,  he  flew  out 
at  me.  I  was  in  great  despair  at  this.  My  health  soon  began 
to  suffer  from  mental  grief,  and  I  was  seized  with  convulsions, 
which  I  had  never  had  before.  My  governess  came  to  visit 
me,  and  did  all  she  could  to  afford  me  relief.  No  one  could 
guess  the  real  cause  of  my  complaint.  I  have  already  said  ray 
bedroom  joined  the  Margrave's.  I  heard  how  he  sent  for  my 
ladies  every  morning  when  he  woke.  If  I  were  well  enough  to 
go  to  him  he  scarcely  spoke  to  me,  and  at  once  sent  for  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Marwitz.  Violent  jealousy  took  possession  of 
my  heart.  Every  one  observed  my  distress,  but  I  took  care  no 
one  should  discover  its  cause. 

I  knew  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  so  well — how  devoted  she 
was  to  me,  and  how  virtuous — and  felt  certain  that  if  she  be- 


422         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

came  aware  of  the  cause  of  rny  sorrow,  she  would  leave  my 
court.  But  the  Margrave  I  could  not  forgive  for  behaving  as 
he  did  towards  me.  For  a  year  past  I  had  been  blind  to  many 
little  circumstances  I  now  observed. 

He  was  still  determined  to  carry  out  the  plan  of  travelling 
through  Italy,  but  I  had  lost  all  wish  and  inclination  to  do  so ; 
for  I  was  convinced  that  the  ease  with  which  he  would  be 
brought  in  contact  with  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  would  only 
increase  his  love  for  her.  Besides,  my  heart  was  too  sad  and 
heavy  to  find  pleasure  in  anything  but  in  a  change  in  my  pres- 
ent position. 

A  new  trouble  completely  crushed  me.  I  have  mentioned 
Meerman's  husband's  dissatisfaction.  Immediately  on  his  ar- 
rival at  Berlin  he  presented  my  letter  and  the  Margrave's  to 
the  king.  On  the  king's  inquiring  after  my  health,  this  man 
took  the  opportunity  of  speaking  most  insolently  of  me.  He 
said  I  had  never  been  ill,  and  then  expatiated  on  the  great 
expenses  I  encouraged  the  Margrave  to  incur,  which  he  said 
ruined  the  country.  In  fact,  he  roused  the  king's  anger  to 
such  a  degree  against  me  that  he  did  not  know  how  to  con- 
tain himself.  Meerman,  however,  did  not  dare  confess  to  his 
wife  how  he  had  slandered  me.  He  knew  her  honesty,  and  that 
she  would  never  have  tolerated  his  behavior. 

This  excellent  woman  went  next  day  to  see  the  queen,  who 
inquired  most  particularly  about  all  those  points  on  which  I 
had  been  so  cruelly  accused,  by  which  she  found  out  that  the 
direct  opposite  to  what  had  been  said  was  the  case.  Meerman 
(my  maid)  was  besides  ready  to  take  an  oath  that  all  that  had 
been  said  of  me  was  entirely  false. 

The  queen,  nevertheless,  wrote  me  a  very  strong  letter,  in 
which  she  told  me  in  the  king's  name  that  he  would  never 
forgive  me  if  I  insisted  on  carrying  out  the  project  of  going  to 
Montpellicr.  At  the  same  time  I  also  heard  from  my  brother, 
who  told  me  all  the  circumstances  I  have  before  mentioned, 
and  of  my  father's  anger  against  me.  "  I,  nevertheless,  advise 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    HATRED TH.        423 

you  to  continue  your  journey,"  he  wrote.  "  The  king  has  re;illy 
no  orders  to  give  you,  and  it  would  be  a  sign  of  weakness  on 
your  part  if  you  let  yourself  be  intimidated  by  the  false  gossip 
of  a  man  like  Meerman.  I  recommend  your  getting  rid  of  that 
scoundrel.  Turn  him  away  at  once,  and  show  a  determined  spirit. 
It  is  true  that  his  wife  is  most  devoted  to  you,  and  does  not  de- 
serve such  harsh  treatment ;  but  you  must  get  over  that,  in  order 
to  get  rid  of  such  a  bad  man." 

These  two  letters  distressed  me  greatly,  for  I  loved  Meer- 
mann's  wife  dearly,  yet  knew  the  Margrave  would  approve  of 
my  brother's  advice.  My  governess,  who  had  been  for  a  few 
days  at  Erlangen,  helped  me  out  of  the  difficulty.  She  de- 
fended my  poor  maid  so  warmly  that  she  induced  the  Mar- 
grave to  pardon  the  husband.  All  these  annoyances  did  much 
harm  to  my  health. 

My  governess  several  times  discovered  me  in  tears,  and  I  at 
last  gave  in  to  her  entreaties,  and  owned  to  her  the  reason  of 
my  altered  appearance  and  my  sorrow.  Mademoiselle  von  Mar- 
witz  had  observed  that  I  was  not  in  my  usual  spirits,  but  thought 
it  was  owing  to  my  illness.  When,  therefore,  my  governess 
spoke  to  her  about  it  she  evidently  guessed  the  reason,  for  she 
was  so  terribly  upset  that  she  had  an  attack  of  fever  in  conse- 
quence. Mademoiselle  von  Sonnsfeld  observed  that  I  had  not 
complained  without  some  good  reason,  and  that  the  Margrave 
treated  me  very  coldly.  She  therefore  spoke  most  seriously 
with  him,  and  not  without  making  an  impression,  for  he  ex- 
cused himself  and  said  it  was  all  the  consequence  of  his  fever. 
Indeed,  I  now  found  him  as  tender  and  kind  as  of  old.  I  over- 
whelmed Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  with  affection,  that  I  might 
entirely  put  her  very  just  apprehensions  out  of  her  head. 

It  was  now  November,  and  it  being  too  late  in  the  season  to 
proceed  to  Montpellier,  we  returned  as  soon  as  the  Margrave 
had  entirely  recovered  his  health  to  Baireuth,  where  we  were 
received  with  every  demonstration  of  joy. 

Soon  after  this  Meermann  and  his  wife  returned  from  Ber- 


424         MEMOIRS    OF    THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTH. 

Jin.  I  welcomed  his  wife  most  affectionately,  and  himself  all 
the  more  coldly.  He  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  me  so  per- 
fectly informed  of  his  conduct.  I  forgave  him  out  of  love  for 
his  wife,  and  he  has  since  then  proved  himself  so  devoted  to  me 
that  I  have  every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  him. 

I  had  not  followed  my  brother's  advice  either  in  regard  to 
Meermann  or  to  the  Italian  journey,  in  consequence  of  which  I 
received  a  letter  from  him.  I  endeavored  to  pacify  him  by  put- 
ting forward  good  reasons  for  having  acted  as  I  had.  I  told 
him  in  my  answer  that  the  Margrave's  health  had  been  too 
delicate  to  undertake  the  journey;  that  I  had  too  good  a 
heart  to  wish  to  make  a  person  unhappy  whom  I  loved,  and 
to  whom  I  owed  much  gratitude.  My  brother  was  not  satis- 
fied with  this  explanation,  and  I  observed  that  he  wrote  to  me 
very  coldly. 

About  this  time  I  heard  the  king  was  ill,  and  that  the  doc- 
tors feared  a  fresh  attack  of  dropsy.  His  illness  increased  dur- 
ing the  year  1740. 

We  began  the  New  Year  (1740)  with  the  Carnival.  Several 
"  Bals  Costumes  "  were  given  at  the  Castle,  to  which  the  nobil- 
ity alone  were  invited. 

During  the  lifetime  of  the  late  Margrave  the  clergy  had  gain- 
ed great  power  and  influence.  A.  sect  had  been  formed  calling 
themselves  "Pietisten"  (Devotees),  of  which  the  late  Margrave's 
confessor  was  the  head.  This  man  possessed  inordinate  ambi- 
tion, combined  with  a  most  intriguing  nature,  but  hid  these 
qualities  beneath  the  mask  of  religion.  This  man  now  began 
to  stir  the  people  tip  against  us.  He  stood  in  high  favor  at 
the  Danish  Court,  and  we  therefore  had,  on  political  grounds, 
to  treat  him  with  caution.  In  order  to  prevent  gossip  which 
might  have  done  us  harm,  we  were  obliged  to  accustom  people 
by  degrees  to  our  gayeties.  I  lived  in  perfect  peace  and  quiet; 
for  the  Margrave  treated  me  kindly,  and  Mademoiselle  von  Mar- 
wit/,  and  I  enjoyed  undisturbed  the  pleasures  of  friendship. 

The  king's  illness  meanwhile  became  more  serious,  and  the 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTU.        425 

queen  wrote  me  word  that  the  doctors  gave  him  only  a  month 
more  to  live.  My  sister  of  Brunswick  had  herself  gone  to  Ber- 
lin to  inquire  after  his  health.  I  felt  it  was  my  duty  to  do  the 
same,  and  therefore  spoke  with  the  Margrave  about  it.  He  did 
not  approve  of  the  idea,  but  nevertheless  allowed  me  to  discuss 
it  with  my  governess.  From  an  exaggerated  feeling  of  friend- 
ship for  me,  she  dissuaded  me  from  undertaking  the  journey. 
She  feared  the  shock  of  the  king's  approaching  death  would  in- 
jure my  health  afresh.  As,  however,  I  insisted  on  carrying  out 
my  plan,  she  advised  me  to  write  to  my  brother.  This  did  not 
suit  me  at  all ;  but  since  the  Margrave  would  not  under  any  other 
condition  hear  of  the  journey,  I  had  to  submit,  and  sent  the  fol- 
lowing letter  to  my  brother  by  messenger : 

"  I  had  up  to  this  time  flattered  myself  that  the  king's  illness 
was  curable.  The  last  letter,  however,  which  I  received  from  the 
queen  informs  me  that  there  is  no  hope.  I  have  therefore  de- 
cided, if  you  approve  of  my  doing  so,  to  go  to  Berlin  without 
further  delay,  to  assure  my  dying  father  of  my  devotion,  and  to 
seek  a  reconciliation  with  him.  I  should,  I  confess,  be  in  utter 
despair  were  he  to  die  before  I  saw  him,  and  had  I  to  reproach 
myself  with  having  neglected  my  duty  towards  him.  I  beg  you, 
therefore,  to  send  me  an  answer  by  messenger,  and  to  let  me 
know  what  you  think  of  my  plan." 

To  this  letter  I  received  the  following  reply  : 

"  Your  message  has  filled  me  with  the  greatest  surprise. 
What  on  earth  do  you  want  here?  You  will  be  received  like 
a  dog,  and  get  no  thanks  for  your  kindly  feelings.  Remain  at 
Daireuth  and  amuse  yourself,  and  do  not  dream  of  coming  to  a 
hell,  where  you  hear  only  groans  and  cries,  and  where  every  one 
is  ill-used.  The  queen  disapproves  of  your  plan  as  much  as 
I  do.  It  depends  entirely  on  yourself  if  you  will  make  the 
venture.  Good-by,  dear  sister  ;  I  will  inform  you  of  the  king's 


426        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

health  each  time  the  post  leaves.  He  cannot  recover,  but  the 
doctors  say  he  may  linger  on  for  some  time  yet.  I  am  always," 
etc. 

This  letter  put  an  end  to  all  my  plans,  for  I  could  no  longer 
hope  to  obtain  the  Margrave's  consent  to  my  journey  to  Berlin. 
The  king  grew  worse  and  worse,  and  closed  his  life  and  reign 
on  the  31st  of  May.  It  will  not  be  out  of  place  if  I  hear  say 
a  few  words  about  his  singular  and  heroic  death. 

He  had  spent  a  very  bad  night,  and  at  seven  in  the  morning 
had  himself  rolled  in  his  chair  to  the  queen's  room.  Not 
having  thought  the  danger  so  imminent,  she  was  still  asleep. 
"  Get  up,"  the  king  said  to  her,  "  I  have  only  a  few  more  hours 
to  live,  and  wish  to  have  the  happiness  of  dying  in  your  arms." 
He  then  had  himself  taken  to  my  brothers,  of  whom  he  took  a 
tender  farewell,  with  the  exception  of  the  crown  prince,  whom 
he  ordered  to  follow  him  into  the  next  room.  As  soon  as  he 
reached  it  he  sent  for  the  first  two  ministers,  the  Prince  of  An- 
halt,  and  all  the  generals  and  colonels  at  that  time  at  Potsdam. 
After  making  them  a  little  speech  he  thanked  them  for  their 
past  services,  and  asked  them  to  be  as  faithful  to  the  crown 
prince,  his  heir,  as  they  had  been  to  him.  He  then  made  over 
all  his  power  and  rights  to  the  crown  prince,  whom  he  exhorted 
in  the  most  touching  manner,  reminding  him  of  the  sacred 
duties  of  a  sovereign  towards  his  subjects.  He  recommended 
the  army  to  his  care,  and  specially  the  generals  and  officers 
present. 

The  king  then  turned  to  the  Prince  of  Anhalt,  and  said, 
"  You  are  my  oldest  general :  it  is  but  fair  that  I  should  leave 
you  the  best  horse  I  possess."  He  then  desired  it  should  be 
brought  round,  and  observing  that  the  prince  was  much  upset, 
he  added, "  It  is  man's  fate  ;  he  must  pay  his  tribute  to  nature." 
As  he  was  afraid  the  tears  and  lamentations  around  him  might 
cause  him  to  lose  his  composure,  the  king  begged  all  present 
to  leave  him.  He  ordered  his  servants  to  put  on  their  new 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTTI.        427 

liveries  and  liis  regiment  the  new  uniforms  he  had  just  had 
made  for  them.  The  queen  now  entered  the  room,  and  had 
barely  been  there  a  quarter  of  a  hour  before  the  king  fainted 
away.  He  was  put  to  bed,  and  after  much  difficulty  regained 
consciousness.  On  looking  around  him  and  observing  his 
servants  in  their  new  liveries,  he  exclaimed,  "  Vanity,  vanity, 
all  is  vanity !"  After  this,  he  asked  his  doctor  if  his  end  were 
near  at  hand.  Upon  the  doctor's  replying  that  he  might  live 
another  half-hour,  he  asked  for  a  looking-glass.  Having  looked 
at  himself  in  it,  he  smiled,  saying,  "  I  am  much  altered,  and 
shall  have  a  very  ugly  face  when  I  die."  Repeating  his  ques- 
tion to  the  doctor,  he  received  the  answer  that  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  had  passed,  and  that  his  pulse  was  becoming  more  rapid. 
Upon  this  he  said,  "So  much  the  better:  I  shall  soon  return 
to  my  nothingness."  Those  around  him  wished  to  let  two 
clergymen  enter  the  room  to  pray  with  him ;  but  the  king  re- 
plied that  he  knew  just  what  they  would  say,  and  that  they 
should  go  their  way.  After  having  repeated  fainting  fits,  he 
died  at  noon.  The  new  king  at  once  led  the  queen  to  her 
room,  where  many  tears  were  shed.  I  do  not  know  whether 
they  were  sincere  or  false. 

The  king  sent  me  a  messenger  to  inform  me  of  the  sad  news. 
Although  I  was  prepared  for  it,  it  upset  me  terribly.  I  cannot 
dissemble,  and  although  I  have  had  many  sorrows  I  have  felt 
more  keenly,  I  can  say  with  truth  that  this  was  a  great  grief 
to  me. 

I  continued  to  be  on  the  same  terms  with  the  king  as 
formerly.  I  wrote  to  him  whenever  the  post  went,  and  al- 
ways in  the  fulness  of  my  heart.  But  six  weeks  went  by 
without  my  getting  any  answer.  The  letter  which  I  at  last 
received  was  only  signed  by  the  king.  Soon  after  his  acces- 
sion he  made  a  journey  through  Pomerania  and  Prussia.  He 
continued  his  silence  towards  me,  and  I  did  not  know  what  I 
was  to  think  of  it ;  for,  loving  him  so  dearly,  I  could  not  help 
being  anxious  at  such  indifference. 


428        MEMOIRS    OP   THE   MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREUTH. 

At  last,  after  three  months,  I  was  secretly  informed  he  had 
left  Berlin  incognito  to  surprise  me  at  the  Hermitage,  where  1 
was  at  that  moment.  I  nearly  died  of  joy  at  the  news,  and 
was  so  upset  by  it  that  I  was  ill  for  two  days  in  consequence. 

At  length  he  arrived,  accompanied  by  my  second  brother, 
whom  I  shall  simply  call  "  my  brother,"  in  order  to  distinguish 
him  from  the  other.  My  heart  opened  out  afresh  at  this  hap- 
py meeting.  I  had  so  much  to  tell  the  king  that  I  could  not 
find  words.  I  observed  at  once  that  his  affectionate  manner 
towards  me  was  forced.  It  staggered  me  rather,  but  I  thought 
no  more  about  it.  "  My  brother "  I  found  so  grown  and  al- 
tered that  I  should  scarcely  have  known  him.  As  I  shall  have 
occasion  to  mention  him  again  later  on,  I  will  not  here  inter- 
rupt the  thread  of  my  narrative. 

The  king  conversed  all  day  with  me,  but  only  on  trivial 
subjects.  There  was  a  certain  embarrassment  in  his  manner 
which  puzzled  me.  M.  Algarotti,  an  Italian,  and  one  of  the 
clever  men  of  the  century,  who  was  in  the  king's  suite,  was  a 
great  help  to  the  conversation.  What  surprised  me  most  was 
the  king's  great  eagerness  to  see  my  sister  of  Anspach  again, 
for  whom  he  had  never  really  cared.  More  than  twenty  mes- 
sengers were  sent  next  day  to  invite  her  in  the  tenderest  terms 
to  the  Hermitage.  She  arrived  on  the  following  day,  with  the 
Margrave,  her  husband.  The  king  now  showed  no  further 
consideration  for  me,  but  made  no  secret  of  his  marked  prefer- 
ence for  my  sister.  He  gave  me  a  small  bunch  of  flowers  made 
of  diamonds,  worth  two  hundred  thalers  (thirty  pounds),  and 
a  fan  in  which  there  was  a  little  watch.  To  the  Margrave  lie 
gave  a  snuffbox  set  in  diamonds  with  the  portrait  of  the  late 
king.  My  sister  received  a  present  similar  to  mine,  and  of  the 
same  value;  but  he  gave  the  Margrave  of  Anspach  a  snuffbox 
made  of  a  white  pebble,  which  was  cracked  right  through  the 
centre,  so  that  he  at  once  gave  it  away  to  one  of  his  pages. 
M.  von  Miinichow,  whom  I  have  mentioned  before,  had  become 
equerry  to  the  king,  and  accompanied  him  everywhere.  This 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OP    BAIREUTII.        429 

verdant  youth  was  much  liked  at  Court,  and  was  of  more  ac- 
count than  any  of  those  who  had  been  devoted  to  the  king 
when  he  was  crown  prince.  Daring  his  stay  at  Baireuth  he 
had  been  much  in  love  with  Mademoiselle  von  .Marwitz,  and 
flattered  himself  that,  if  I  were  not  opposed  to  it,  he  might 
receive  her  in  marriage  from  the  king  and  General  Marwitz. 

We  arrived  at  Berlin  at  the  end  of  October.  My  youngest 
brothers,  all  the  Princes  of  the  Blood,  and  the  whole  Court  re- 
ceived us  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  I  was  at  once  taken  to  my 
rooms,  where  I  found  the  reigning  queen  and  my  sisters.  I 
heard,  to  my  great  sorrow,  that  the  king  had  an  attack  of  tertian 
fever.  He  sent  me  word  that  his  illness  prevented  his  seeing 
me,  but  that  he  hoped  to  have  this  pleasure  next  day.  As 
soon  as  the  first  greetings  had  been  exchanged  I  went  to  see 
the  queen-mother.  Her  sinister  and  melancholy  expression 
struck  me  painfully.  Every  one  still  wore  deep  mourning  for 
the  king,  my  father,  and  I  felt  his  loss  anew.  Nature  has  its 
rights,  and  I  can  say  with  truth  I  was  never  more  upset  than 
on  this  occasion.  My  meeting  with  the  queen  was  very  trying. 
We  dined  that  evening  alone  with  the  family,  and  I  renewed 
my  acquaintance  with  my  brothers  and  sisters,  whom  I  had 
not  seen  for  eight  years. 

I  saw  the  king  next  day.  He  was  thin  and  disfigured,  and 
his  manner  was  forced.  Love  makes  one  sharp-sighted,  and 
friendship  equally  so,  and  I  was  therefore  not  taken  in  by  his 
empty  assurances,  and  felt  but  too  plainly  that  he  no  longer 
cared  for  me.  He  asked  me  to  follow  him  to  a  castle  in  the 
country,  called  Rheinsberg,  where  he  was  going  for  change  of 
air.  The  reigning  queen  was  to  accompany  him,  but  as  the 
house  was  small  he  said  he  could  not  house  me,  but  he  would, 
however,  take  care  to  have  a  room  arranged  for  me,  and  as  soon 
as  it  was  ready  would  let  me  know. 

As  the  Court  wore  mourning,  it  presented  no  brilliant  appear- 
ance. I  went  daily  to  the  queen-mother,  who  saw  few  people, 


430         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

and  was  overcome  by  her  great  grief.  She  had  always  flattered 
herself  that  she  possessed  great  influence  over  the  king,  my 
brother,  and  hoped  when  he  came  to  the  throne  to  take  part  in 
the  affairs  of  the  State.  To  her  great  surprise  and  disgust,  how- 
ever, the  king,  who  was  very  jealous  of  his  own  power,  did  not 
allow  her  any  voice  in  matters  of  business. 

After  the  king's  departure  I  remained  a  fortnight  longer  at 
Berlin.  I  was  overwhelmed  with  marks  of  honor  and  respect, 
which  might  have  misled  any  one  but  myself.  If  you  set  store 
by  mutual  affection,  such  outward  show  makes  but  little  im- 
pression, and  a  trifling  mark  of  friendship  proves  more  than 
any  vain  pomp.  I  observed  during  my  short  stay  that  great 
dissatisfaction  existed  throughout  the  country,  and  that  the 
king  had  lost  much  of  the  affection  of  his  subjects.  He  was 
spoken  of  publicly  with  little  respect.  Some  complained  of 
his  want  of  consideration  towards  those  that  had  been  devoted 
to  him  while  he  was  crown  prince ;  others  of  his  stinginess, 
which,  they  said,  was  far  greater  than  the  late  king's.  Others, 
again,  found  fault  with  his  distrust  and  suspicion,  his  violence, 
pride,  and  dissimulation.  Several  circumstances  of  which  I  had 
been  a  witness  made  me  believe  these  rumors.  I  would  have 
spoken  with  the  king  about  them,  but  my  brother  of  Prussia 
and  the  reigning  queen  dissuaded  me  from  doing  so.  I  will 
later  on  explain  all  this,  and  entreat  those  who  may  some  day 
read  these  memoirs  to  suspend  their  judgment  on  the  character 
of  this  great  sovereign  till  I  have  given  it  more  in  detail.  The 
news  of  the  death  of  Charles  VI.,*  which  arrived  at  this  mo- 
ment, formed  the  chief  topic  of  conversation  and  political  spec- 
ulation at  the  Court.  Two  days  afterwards  I  arrived  at  Rheins- 
berg.  The  quinine  the  king  had  taken  quite  had  cured  him  of 
his  fever ;  but  he  still  kept  to  his  room,  and  continued  to  do  so 
during  the  whole  of  my  stay  at  Rheinsberg.  It  was  surpris- 

*  Emperor  of  Germany  aud  of  the  Holy  Rornaii  Empire.  He  died  the 
20th  of  October,  1740. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTII.        431 

ing  how  the  king,  prostrated  as  he  was  by  illness,  was  able  to 
transact  all  business  matters.  Nothing  was  settled  or  took  place 
without  his  knowledge,  or  without  passing  through  his  hands. 
The  small  amount  of  leisure  time  at  his  disposal  he  spent  in 
the  society  of  clever  and  distinguished  men,  such  as  Voltaire, 
Maupertius,  Algarotti,  and  Jordan.  In  the  evening  there  was 
generally  a  concert,  when  the  king,  in  spite  of  his  weakness, 
himself  played  two  or  three  concertos  on  the  flute.  He  was, 
without  any  flattery,  a  real  artist  on  that  instrument.  After 
supper  he  devoted  his  time  to  writing  poems,  for  which  he 
had  a  great  talent.  All  these  occupations  were  a  recreation 
to  him.  The  subject  that  most  occupied  his  mind  at  this 
time  was  the  conquest  of  Silesia.  His  preparations  for  this 
object  were  kept  so  secret  and  were  made  so  cleverly  that  the 
Austrian  envoy  at  Berlin  never  heard  a  word  of  them  till  they 
were  concluded. 

The  stay  at  Rheinsberg  pleased  me  only  on  account  of  the 
pleasant  society  I  met  with  there.  I  saw  the  king  very  seldom, 
and  had  no  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  our  interviews.  They 
consisted  in  the  exchange  of  forced  civilities,  or  in  bitter  jokes 
about  the  Margrave's  financial  difficulties.  The  king  went  so  far 
as  often  to  turn  him  and  the  other  princes  of  the  empire  into 
ridicule — a  rudeness  I  felt  very  much  indeed.  Added  to  this  I 
found  myself  unfortunately  involved  in  a  very  delicate  matter, 
which  might  have  had  very  serious  consequences.  As  it  has, 
however,  remained  a  secret  up  to  this  time,  and  as  the  honor  of 
several  people  to  whom  I  owe  consideration  was  concerned  in 
it,  I  will  pass  it  all  over  in  silence,  and  will  therefore  turn  to 
another  subject,  which  may-  appear  less  interesting,  but  which, 
as  it  concerns  this  narrative,  I  feel  bound  to  mention. 

Madame  von  Sonnsfeld  and  the  elder  Mademoiselle  von  Mar- 
witz  were  the  only  members  of  my  household  that  had  accom- 
panied me-  to  Rheinsberg.  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  had 
become  very  intimate  with  two  Mademoiselles  von  Tertow, 
ladies-in-waiting  to  the  queen.  They  were  very  amiable,  but 


432        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

made  themselves  generally  hated  on  account  of  their  love  of 
gossip  and  raillery. 

Madame  von  Morian  was  no  longer  young,  but  had  kept  her 
looks  wonderfully,  knew  the  ways  of  the  world,  was  lively,  and 
had  managed  to  overcome  all  prejudices.  Her  behavior  was 
not  praiseworthy,  and  she  seemed  to  have  lost  all  sense  of  pro- 
priety. She  said  such  things  while  sitting  at  the  queen's  din- 
ner-table as  made  even  gentlemen  blush.  This  society,  which 
was  calculated  to  ruin  a  young  creature,  had  the  very  worst 
effect  on  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz.  The  love  of  ridicule,  the 
ambiguous  remarks,  and  the  improper  behavior  of  Madame  von 
Morian  and  of  the  two  Tertows  were  copied  by  her,  and  she 
shaped  her  behavior  according  to  theirs.  Her  conduct  gave 
credence  to  rumors  afloat  about  her.  Some  gossips  rallied  her 
about  her  love  passages  with  the  Margrave,  and  remarked  to 
her  upon  her  influence  over  him.  In  a  word,  nothing  else  was 
talked  of.  But  they  did  her  injustice.  She  slept  and  lived  in 
the  same  apartments  with  her  aunt,  and  never  saw  the  Mar- 
grave except  in  her  presence  or  mine. 

Characters  change  by  slow  degrees.  A  young  person  sud- 
denly launched  into  the  great  world  may  be  misled  by  its 
amusements,  but  would  forget  herself  only  gradually.  When 
I  told  her  of  the  stories  circulated  about  her,  she  was  beside 
herself.  All  the  good  principles  I  had  endeavored  to  imbue 
her  with  presented  themselves  to  her  in  their  full  force.  She 
said  she  would  leave  the  Court,  and  wished  to  return  home  to 
her  father.  I  had  to  use  all  my  powers  of  persuasion  to  pre- 
vent her  doing  so,  and  it  was  only  with  much  trouble  that  I 
was  able  to  pacify  her.  I  succeeded  after  a  time  in  proving 
her  virtue  without  a  shadow  of  doubt,  and  putting  an  end  to 
the  gossip.  It  had,  however,  put  ideas  into  her  head,  as  will  be 
seen  later  on,  which  she  would  otherwise  never  have  thought  of. 

We  returned  to  Berlin  at  the  beginning  of  December.  The 
disturbances  caused  by  the  death  of  the  emperor  obliged  the 
Margrave  to  return  home ;  but  in  order  not  to  displease  the 


MEMOIKS    OF    THE    MAIiGKAVINE    OF    BAIREUTU.         433 

king,  I  remained  in  Berlin.  After  the  mourning  bad  been  dis- 
carded, the  Carnival  festivities,  which  always  take  place  at 
Berlin  in  December,  January,  and  February,  were  commenced. 
On  Mondays  the  king  gave  a  masked  ball  at  the  Castle,  on  Tues- 
days a  public  concert  took  place ;  Wednesdays  and  Fridays 
masked  balls  were  given  in  the  town  in  the  houses  of  the  high- 
.est  officials.  These  gayeties  were  not  of  long  duration,  for  the 
king's  great  plan  suddenly  saw  light.  Ilis  troops  marched 
against  Silesia,  and  the  king  left  Berlin  to  place  himself  at  the 
head  of  his  army.  I  was  greatly  upset  as  I  took  leave  of  him. 
His  project  involved  great  risks,  and  might,  if  it  failed,  have 
most  disastrous  consequences.  These  reflections  made  the  part- 
ing all  the  more  painful.  I  would  have  awaited  his  return,  for 
he  intended  coming  back  for  a  few  days  at  the  end  of  six 
weeks,  had  not  the  circumstance  which  I  have  passed  over  in 
silence  still  troubled  me.  My  impatience  also  to  see  the  Mar- 
grave again  prevented  my  prolonging  my  stay  at  Berlin. 

I  left  Berlin  on  the  llth  of  January,  1741,  and  arrived  at 
the  end  of  eleven  days  at  Baireuth.  The  inundations  had  so 
destroyed  the  roads  that  I  could  travel  only  four  hours  each 
day.  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  and  her  sister  deafened  me 
during  the  whole  journey  with  their  lamentations  at  having 
left  Berlin.  "  Here  we  are,  obliged  to  return  to  that  devil's 
nest,  where  we  are  bored  to  death  after  having  tasted  the  pleas- 
ures of  Berlin,"  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  exclaimed.  These 
remarks  had  already  annoyed  me  more  than  once ;  but,  as  I 
looked  on  her  as  a  person  the  fire  of  whose  youth  carried  her 
away,  I  tried  to  find  an  excuse  for  her.  She  appeared,  too,  after 
a  time  to  have  recovered  herself,  and  to  have  given  up  her  follies. 
I  returned  to  my  accustomed  existence  at  Baireuth.  Many  stran- 
gers visited  us,  which  added  much  to  the  brightness  of  our  Court. 

The  fall  of  Glogau*  made  me  very  happy.     After  the  king, 

*  One  of  the  chief  towns  of  Silesia.     It  was  taken  by  Frederick  the 
Great  in  his  first  Silesian  war,  on  March  10,  1741. — Note  by  Translator. 
38 


434         MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

ray  brother,  had  laid  siege  to  it,  he  took  it  by  storm.     This 
town  was  the  key  of  Silesia. 

A  short  time  after  this  occurrence,  Count  Cobentzel,  the 
envoy  of  the  Queen  of  Hungary,  Maria  Theresa,  arrived  at 
Baireuth.  He  brought  me  a  letter  from  the  widowed  empress, 
in  which  she  implored  me  to  use  my  influence  with  the  king, 
my  brother,  to  induce  him  to  make  peace.  The  queen,  het- 
daughter,  was  without  money  or  troops,  and  had  been  attacked 
without  the  least  warning.  In  spite  of  her  precarious  position 
she  had  refused  to  entertain  the  king's  proposal.  She  was  de- 
termined to  resist  to  the  last,  rather  than  give  up  the  four 
duchies,*  which  were  the  cause  of  the  whole  dispute.  All 
Count  Cobentzel's  entreaties,  all  the  favorable  conditions  he 
offered  me,  would  not  induce  me  to  interfere  in  this  matter. 
I  did  not  even  think  it  advisable  to  write  to  the  king  about  it 
— the  more  so  as  no  explanation  had  been  given  as  to  the  con- 
ditions of  such  an  agreement.  The  king  continued  to  make 
successful  progress.  On  the  10th  of  April  the  battle  of  Moll- 
witz  was  fought,  resulting  in  a  victory  which  in  every  way  re- 
flected honor  on  the  king.  This  victory  entirely  justified  his 
talents  as  a  general,  for  his  first  attempt  had  been  a  master- 
stroke. On  this  occasion  General  Marwitz  was  dangerously 
wounded  in  the  thigh.  The  siege  and  fall  of  Neisse  was  the 
result  of  this  victory,  and  led  to  peace  being  concluded.  It  is 
difficult  to  describe  my  joy  at  these  good  tidings,  which  I  cele- 
brated by  fetes. 

This  year  passed  by  quietly  for  me,  but  it  was  also  the  last 
in  which  I  experienced  any  peace  or  quiet.  I  now  began  a 
new  career,  which  was  far  harder  and  more  difficult  than  any 
over  which  I  had  before  triumphed.  I  have  prided  myself  on 
my  perfect  honesty,  and  shall,  therefore,  not  endeavor  to  hide 
any  of  the  faults  I  have  committed.  I  may  have  sinned  against 
rules  of  policy,  but  I  cannot  reproach  myself  with  any  want  of 
uprightness. 

*  Jagerudorf,  Licgnitz,  Brieg,  and  Wohlan. 


MEMOIKS    OF   THE   MAKGKAVINE    OF    BAIEEUTH.        435 

As  General  Marwitz's  wound  was  fatal,  be  implored  me  to  let 
bis  daughter  go  and  see  him — a  request  I  felt  I  could  not  refuse. 
He  had  become  governor  of  Breslau,  and  commanded  all  the 
troops  in  Silesia.  His  daughter,  whom  I  had  thought  highly 
•delighted  at  the  permission  to  visit  her  father,  came  crying  to 
me  two  days  before  her  departure  in  a  great  state  of  despair. 

I  asked  her  in  great  surprise  what  was  the  cause  of  her  dis- 
tress. She  could,  however,  scarcely  answer  me  for  sobbing. 
At  length  she  said,  "  I  now  see  I  must  leave  your  Royal  High- 
ness. The  rumors  that  were  circulated  at  Berlin  attacking  my 
reputation  have  found  but  too  much  credence.  Nothing  is 
dearer  to  me  than  my  honor,  and  the  stain  cast  on  it  is  more 
bitter  to  me  than  death.  I  shall  become  the  -most  miserable 
creature  on  earth,  for  I  feel  I  cannot  live  without  you.  To  in- 
crease my  misery  and  to  drive  me  still  further  to  despair,  my 
father  insists  on  my  marrying.  I  am,  therefore,  to  become  a 
double  victim — on  the  one  hand  to  the  distress  at  the  separation 
from  you,  and  on  the  other  to  the  necessity  of  uniting  myself 
to  a  man  I  probably  hate." 

Her  tears  and  words  touched  me  much.  I  did  my  utmost 
to  comfort  her,  and  succeeded  after  two  hours  in  pacifying  her, 
and  obtaining  her  promise  not  to  leave  my  service.  The  reader 
may  judge  if,  after  such  a  conversation,  I  could  mistrust  the 
girl.  Could  I  believe  she  was  cruelly  deceiving  me,  and  rob- 
bing me  of  my  greatest  earthly  treasure — my  husband's  heart? 
She  was  constantly  with  me,  and  she  was  so  prudent  in  her 
behavior  towards  him  that  it  would  have  dispelled  all  suspicion, 
had  I  entertained  any.  After  her  departure  her  sister  showed 
me  much  devotion,  and  her  cheerful,  lively,  clever  disposition 
made  the  time  pass  quickly.  The  Margrave  joked  much  with 
her  without  raising  any  uneasiness  in  my  mind,  and  I  was 
glad  when  he  was  amused.  I  hated  restraint,  and  therefore 
wished  to  put  none  on  him. 

About  this  time  the  Elector  of  Bavaria  was  elected  Roman 
Emperor.  He  passed  incognito  through  Baireuth  at  the  begin- 


436        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MAKGBAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH. 

ning  of  the  year  1742,  on  his  way  to  Mannheim  to  attend  the 
wedding  of  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Sulzbach ;  and  thence 
he  was  going  to  Frankfort  for  the  coronation.  He  came 
through  Baireuth  so  poorly  attended  that  we  should  probably 
not  have  heard  of  it  had  he  not  sent  us  one  of  his  gentlemen 
with  a  kind  message  and  his  excuses  for  not  stopping.  The 
Margrave  at  once  mounted  his  horse  and  hastened  after  him. 
He  used  so  much  speed  that  he  overtook  him  three  miles  from 
the  town.  The  emperor*  left  his  carriage  at  once,  and  showed 
him  every  mark  of  civility.  After  conversing  together  for 
about  half  an  hour  they  parted,  mutually  satisfied  with  each 
other. 

Soon  after  this  we  heard  the  coronation  was  fixed  for  the 
31st  of  January.  We  were  so  curious  to  see  it  that  we  deter- 
mined to  go  to  Frankfort  in  the  strictest  incognito,  to  arrive 
there  on  the  day  of  the  ceremony,  and  to  leave  again  the  fol- 
lowing morning.  Our  envoy,  M.  von  Berghofen,  was  instruct- 
ed to  arrange  our  journey  and  help  us  to  observe  our  incognito. 
We  fixed  our  departure  for  the  next  week,  when  the  Duchess 
of  Wiirtemberg  took  it  into  her  head  to  pay  us  a  visit.  This 
lady,  who  was  famed  for  her  bad  behavior,  went  to  Berlin  to 
visit  her  sons,  whose  education  she  had  intrusted  to  the  king. 
They  had  passed  through  Baireuth  not  long  before  this,  and 
the  duke  had  on  this  occasion  fallen  in  love  with  my  daughter. 
As  she  was  nine  years  old  and  he  fourteen,  this  love  affair 
amused  us  very  much.  I  found  the  duchess  had  kept  her  looks 
wonderfully.  She  has  fine  features,  but  talks  so  much  as  to 
silence  all  around  her.  Her  voice  is  at  the  same  time  so  shrill 
that  it  deafens  one.  Still,  she  is  clever  and  talks  well.  Her 
manner  towards  those  she  is  anxious  to  attract  is  most  pleasant 
and  courteous;  but  she  is  very  free  and  easy  with  gentlemen. 
In  her  conduct  you  find  the  most  curious  contradictions  of 

*  Charles  VII.,  Emperor  of  Germany  and  of  the  Holy  Roman  Empire, 
began  to  reign  1742;  died  1746. 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        437 

pride  and  baseness.  Her  behavior  had  brought  her  into  such 
odium  that  her  visit  gave  me  very  little  satisfaction.  She  was 
regent  during  the  minority  of  her  son.  But  I  will  not  further 
describe  her  character  here,  as  she  will  often  appear  in  the 
course  of  these  memoirs. 

I  return  to  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz.  She  had  asked  me 
for  an  extension  of  leave,  but  when  she  heard  of  our  proposed 
journey  started  off  at  once,  and  arrived  at  Baireuth  when  I 
least  expected  her — on  the  same  day  as  the  duchess.  As  soon 
as  I  saw  her  she  displeased  me.  She  gave  herself  great  airs, 
talked  incessantly  of  her  father's  large  property,  of  the  approval 
she  had  met  with  at  Berlin,  of  the  civilities  that  had  been 
shown  her,  and  of  the  great  sacrifice  she  was  making  in  return- 
ing to  me.  When  I  am  fond  of  a  person  I  am  very  sensitive, 
as  I  have  mentioned  more  than  once.  It  is  possible  I  expect 
too  much  of  my  friends,  but  I  do  expect  the  same  refinement 
of  feeling  as  I  study  myself.  It  was  not  to  be  found  in  this 
behavior,  and  this  vain  boasting  displeased  me  much.  It  all 
depends  on  the  manner  in  which  things  are  said.  You  can 
prove  to  your  friends  what  you  have  done  for  them  if  you  wish 
to  show  them  affection,  and  thereby  earn  their  gratitude.  But 
if  I  reproach  any  one  for  a  service  rendered  him,  I  take  from 
it  all  its  merit.  As  regards  myself,  I  am  quite  satisfied  if  I  can 
give  pleasure  to  my  friends,  and  never  wish  them  to  find  out 
to  whom  they  owe  it.  I  am  rewarded  by  the  fact  of  having 
been  able  to  be  of  use  to  them.  As  I  have  never  been  able  to 
dissemble,  Mademoiselle  von  Marwitz  soon  observed  my  answers 
were  somewhat  short.  This  annoyed  her  so  much  that  she 
complained  to  the  Margrave  about  it.  He  treated  me  very 
coldly  for  some  days,  which  troubled  me  so  much  that  I  asked 
him  the  cause,  which  he  at  length  told  me.  "  You  have  a  bad 
heart,"  he  said,  "  if  you  can  ill-use  people  you  love.  Madem- 
oiselle von  Marwitz  is  beside  herself,  and  fancies  you  no  longer 
like  her,  and  has  complained  bitterly  to  me  about  it."  I  was 
as  much  surprised  as  I  was  annoyed  that  this  girl  had  turned 


438        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

to  the  Margrave  and  mixed  him  up  in  our  little  dispute.  Ob- 
serving, however,  that  he  was  vexed  with  me,  I  replied  merely 
that  I  was  the  same  as  I  always  was.  On  this  assurance  Mad- 
emoiselle von  Marwitz  came  to  me,  and  made  me  many  pro- 
testations of  affection.  I  was  convinced  anew  that  she  had 
only  erred  from  want  of  thought,  and  from  too  great  a  love  of 
amusement.  Peace  was  therefore  re-established. 

We  intended  starting  on  the  27th  of  January,  when  Polnitz, 
who  is  famed  for  his  memoirs  and  his  mad  freaks,  suddenly  ar- 
rived. He  told  us  that  as  the  Austrians  had  entered  Bavaria, 
the  king  had  thought  it  well  to  make  a  diversion  by  which  to 
help  his  ally  and  march  into  Bohemia.  The  duchess,*  who 
was  going  to  Berlin  partly  for  the  purpose  of  speaking  with 
the  king,  was  placed  in  a  great  difficulty  by  this  unforeseen  oc- 
currence. She  determined  to  remain  with  us  till  the  king's  re- 
turn. It  was  not  so  easy  for  us  to  get  rid  of  her,  but  after 
many  schemes  we  at  length  succeeded.  She  started  for  Berlin 
on  the  28th  of  January,  and  we  left  the  same  day  for  Frank- 
fort. 

The  bad  roads  and  the  inundations  obliged  us  to  travel  day 
and  night,  and  we  at  last  reached  the  gates  of  Frankfort  on 
the  30th  of  January.  M.  von  Bcrghofen,  to  whom  we  had 
sent,  met  us  just  outside  the  town,  and  informed  us  that  the 
coronation  had  been  postponed  to  the  12th  of  February  ;  that 
every  one  knew  of  our  arrival,  and  that  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble to  preserve  our  incognito  if  we  entered  the  town  that  day. 
I  was  dead  tired,  and  tormented  by  a  very  bad  cold.  After 
some  consultation,  we  determined  to  retrace  our  steps  to  a  little 
village  a  mile  from  Frankfort  and  spend  the  night  there. 

Next  day  M.  von  Berghofen  came  again  to  see  us.  He  had 
taken  infinite  trouble  in  persuading  every  one  of  their  mistake, 
and  had  been  able  to  arrange  matters  in  such  a  way  that  we 
were  able  to  get  quietly  into  the  town  that  evening,  in  order 

*  Of  Wiirtcmberg. 


MEMOIRS    OP   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTII.        439 

to  witness  the  emperor's  entry  next  day.  I  had  only  the  two 
Mademoiselles  von  Marwitz  with  me,  for  my  dear  governess 
was  no  longer  able  to  undergo  fatigue.  My  wardrobe  was  in 
very  bad  order,  for  my  ladies  and  I  had  each  of  us  only  a 
black  "  Adrienne,"  which  I  had  invented  in  order  to  lessen  the 
amount  of  luggage.  The  Margrave,  Diichatelet,  and  Schonburg 
were  merely  in  uniform.  In  order  not  to  be  recognized  they 
had  blackened  their  eyebrows,  which  suited  to  perfection  the 
black  wigs  they  wore.  I  thought  I  should  have  died  of  laugh- 
ter when  I  saw  their  get-up. 

We  arrived  at  Berghofen's  house  adorned  in  this  manner, 
lie  scarcely  knew  us  again.  I  had  padded  out  my  dress,  which 
gave  me  a  most  venerable  appearance,  and  we  all  wore  hoods 
which  came  right  over  our  faces.  Berghofen  thought  we  could 
not  possibly  be  recognized,  and  proposed  our  going  to  the 
French  theatre.  This  proposition,  as  can  be  easily  understood, 
pleased  us  greatly,  and  we  hid  ourselves  in  a  box  in  the  second 
tier.  The  emperor's  entry  next  day  was  splendid,  but  I  will- 
not  stop  to  describe  it.  That  same  evening  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  going  to  a  masked  ball,  and  as  no  one  knew  me  I  amused 
myself  by  teasing  the  other  masks. 

The  fear  of  being  recognized  obliged  us  to  retire  to  a  little 
cottage  belonging  to  a  private  gentleman,  where  we  remained 
for  several  days.  The  cold  was  intolerable,  and  for  the  small 
amount  of  pleasure  I  enjoyed  at  Frankfort  I  suffered  from  the 
annoyance  both  Mademoiselles  von  Marwitz  caused  me.  They 
were  proud  beyond  bearing,  insisted  on  being  waited  on,  and 
expected  to  be  treated  with  the  same  marks  of  respect  and 
honor  as  I  was.  The  elder  had  infected  the  younger  one's 
cleverness  with  her  pride,  and  the  younger  encouraged  the  elder 
in  her  love  of  ridicule  and  gossip.  They  studied  the  faults 
and  weak  points  of  everybody,  and  found  pleasure  in  criticis- 
ing the  whole  Court  unmercifully,  and  even  did  so  in  their 
presence. 

As  they  were  very  clever,  their  remarks  amused  the  Mar- 


440        MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MARGRAVINE    OP   BAIREtJTH. 

grave,  who  spent  the  whole  day  in  their  rootn,  and  never  ob- 
served that  he  was  often  the  object  of  their  ridicule.  If  I  was 
present  they  never  said  a  word — did  not  even  answer  ray  ques- 
tions— but  sat  themselves  down  in  a  corner,  where  they  laughed 
like  fools.  As  I  could  no  longer  tolerate  this  stupid  behavior, 
I  at  length  spoke  my  mind  plainly.  I  told  them  distinctly 
that  I  was  much  displeased  with  them,  and  endeavored,  by  put- 
ting forward  good  reasons,  to  bring  them  to  a  better  frame  of 
mind.  The  younger  remained  silent,  but  the  elder  rode  the 
high  horse,  and  even  dared  to  speak  her  mind  to  me.  Would 
to  God  I  had  quarrelled  seriously  and  broken  with  them  both 
at  that  time  !  How  much  sorrow  I  should  have  spared  my- 
self !  I  was  afraid,  if  I  used  my  authority,  to  make  a  disturb- 
ance, and  the  hope  that  I  might  improve  them  caused  me  not 
to  show  myself  in  my  true  light. 

My  return  to  Frankfort  helped  me  to  forget  the  sad  reflec- 
tions this  occurrence  had  called  forth,  and  to  distract  my  mind. 
I  missed  not  a  single  representation  at  the  theatre,  and  not  a 
single  ball.  One  day  as  I  was  at  the  theatre  my  hood  slipped, 
and  Prince  George,  of  Hesse-Cassel,  who  was  just  looking  at 
me,  recognized  me.  He  told  the  Prince  of  Orange,  who  was 
standing  near  him,  and  they  both  came  without  warning  into 
my  box.  It  was  now  no  longer  possible  to  keep  up  our  dis- 
guise, for  they  would  not  either  of  them  leave  us.  They  took 
me  home  in  their  carriage,  and  begged  the  Margrave,  who  could 
not  refuse  them,  to  allow  them  to  remain  to  supper.  From 
that  day  forward  they  never  left  our  side.  The  Prince  of  Or- 
ange, whose  cleverness  and  agreeable  conversation  pleased  me 
greatly,  is  so  well  known  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  describe  him. 
His  wife,  a  princess  of  England,  was  at  Cassel,  and  he  promised 
to  let  her  come  to  Frankfort,  that  I  might  make  her  acquaint- 
ance. His  stay  was,  however,  so  short  that  he  was  not  able  to 
keep  his  word. 

Next  day  we  went  to  a  ball.  The  Elector  of  Cologne,  who 
had  heard  what  had  taken  place  at  the  theatre  on  the  previous 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH.        441 

day,  was  watching  for  us.  As  soon  as  I  appeared  he  invited 
me  to  dance  with  him,  said  he  knew  me,  and  talked  with  me 
for  some  time.  He  presented  to  me  his  niece,  Princess  Clem- 
entine of  Bavaria,  two  princesses  of  Sulzbach,  and  his  brother, 
Prince  Theodore.  We  could  now  no  longer  keep  up  our  in- 
cognito, but  our  disguise  prevented  our  appearing  officially. 
We  therefore  returned  to  our  privacy,  and  after  a  long  consul- 
tation sent  a  messenger  to  Baireuth  to  fetch  us  all  we  required. 

*  I  was  waiting  for  the  Margrave  to  get  into  the  carriage, 
when  he  entered  the  room  with  a  lady  whom  he  presented  to 
me  as  Madame  de  Belisle,  wife  of  the  French  envoy.  I  had 
up  to  this  time  carefully  avoided  her,  for  I  had  feared  that  she 
would  lay  claim  to  rights  which  I  was  not  willing  to  grant  her. 
I  made  up  my  mind  at  once,  and  treated  her  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  I  did  all  the  other  ladies  who  visited  me.  The  whole 
conversation  consisted  in  singing  the  praises  of  the  king.  I 
found  Madame  de  Belisle  very  different  from  what  I  had  been 
led  to  imagine.  She  knew  those  she  had  to  do  with,  but  her 
whole  manner  was  like  that  of  a  "  soubrette,"  and  she  bad  but 
little  presence. 

I  spent  two  or  three  days  in  the  cottage,  where  the  Prince 
of  Orange  was  most  faithful  in  keeping  us  company,  and  I  re- 
turned to  Frankfort  only  the  day  before  the  coronation.  I 
shall  not  stop  to  describe  that  ceremony.  The  poor  emperor 
did  not  have  all  the  satisfaction  he  must  have  expected;  for  he 
was  terribly  ill  with  gout,  and  could  scarcely  stand  upright. 
In  addition  to  this  circumstances  were  not  favorable  to  him. 
The  incident  at  Lienz  had  obliged  the  French  to  retreat,  and 
owing  to  this  the  Austrians  were  enabled  to  enter  Bavaria, 
which  they  devastated  unmercifully.  My  brother,  the  king, 
raised  the  emperor's  hopes  a  little  by  entering  Bohemia ;  but  as 


*  Something  seems  to  have  been  left  out  here,  or  it  may  perhaps  merely 
appear  so  from  a  difference  in  the  style  of  writing,  for  in  the  succession 
of  time  nothing  is  wanting. 


442        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREtTTH. 

the  emperor  had  neither  money  nor  troops  he  was  obliged  to 
seek  to  gain  over  the  princes  of  the  empire  in  order  to  obtain 
their  help.  He  therefore  treated  the  envoys  of  those  princes 
that  had  electoral  rights,  and  especially  the  Margrave's  two  min- 
isters, Messrs,  von  Berghofen  and  von  Cornartin,  with  marked 
distinction.  These  two  gentlemen,  who  were  of  comparatively 
low  birth,  were  intensely  flattered  by  the  emperor's  attentions, 
and  Marshal  Bel  isle  won  them  over  entirely  by  the  gold  he  let 
glitter  before  their  eyes.  In  consequence  of  this  they  made  a 
treaty,  which  they  laid  before  the  Margrave  the  very  day  we 
returned  to  Frankfort.  He  spoke  with  me  about  it,  and  as- 
sured me  it  contained  such  advantageous  conditions  that  he 
had  not  hesitated  to  approve  of  it.  This  treaty  was  really  con- 
cluded before  we  left,  but  was  to  be  ratified  only  when  the  Mar- 
grave had  fulfilled  its  first  conditions.  Berghofen  was  deter- 
mined to  keep  the  treaty  so  carefully  that  the  Margrave  could 
not  even  give  it  to  me  to  read.  But  I  must  now  return  to  my 
narrative. 

The  business  I  have  just  referred  to  obliged  us  to  remain  a 
few  days  longer  at  Frankfort.  After  our  things  arrived  T  re- 
ceived everybody  under  the  name  of  Countess  of  Reuss,  and 
our  house  was  never  empty — even  M.  de  Belisle  coming  to  it 
several  times. 

I  do  not  know  how  M.  von  Berghofen  managed  it,  but  he 
certainly  represented  to  the  Margrave  that  it  would  not  look 
well  if  I  left  Frankfort  without  having  seen  the  empress.  Berg- 
hofen, who  had  much  cleverness,  was  in  great  favor  with  the 
Margrave  on  account  of  the  services  he  had  rendered,  and  also 
on  account  of  the  pretended  advantages  obtained  by  the  treaty. 
My  husband  allowed  him  to  propose  this  meeting  to  me,  leav- 
ing me  free  to  act  as  I  thought  best.  I  declined  positively  to 
entertain  the  idea.  The  rules  of  etiquette  prevented  royal  per- 
sonages from  paying  each  other  visits.  As  the  daughter  of  a 
king,  I  was  not  allowed  to  place  the  honor  of  my  house  in  a 
difficulty.  There  was  no  precedent  of  a  king's  daughter  ;m<I 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.        443 

the  empress  having  met,  and  I  did  not  know  to  what  rights  I 
ought  to  lay  claim. 

Berghofen  was  so  furious  that  he  even  forgot  the  respect 
due  to  me.  He  screamed  at  me  that  I  was  ruining  the  Mar- 
grave by  offending  the  empress ;  that  women  were  of  no  good, 
and  that  it  would  have  be.en  far  better  if  I  had  remained  at 
Baireuth  instead  of  coming  to  Frankfort,  where  I  interfered 
with  the  Margrave's  affairs,  and  where  my  pride  was  a  bar  to 
his  plans.  This  rudeness  neither  moved  me  nor  shook  my  de- 
termination in  the  least,  and  I  merely  laughed  at  it  all.  In  or- 
der, however,  to  pacify  him  I  made  my  own  conditions.  I  de- 
sired, first  of  all,  that  the  empress's  Court  should  receive  me  at 
the  foot  of  the  stairs  ;  secondly,  that  she  should  meet  me  at  the 
door  of  her  bedroom  ;  and,  thirdly,  that  she  should  offer  me  an 
arm-chair  to  sit  on.  He  promised  he  would  speak  to  the  em- 
press's mistress  of  the  robes  about  it,  and  to  do  everything  in 
his  power  to  satisfy  me.  I  risked  nothing  in  making  these 
conditions.  If  they  were  granted  me,  then  I  had  asserted  my 
position ;  and  if  they  were  declined,  then  I  had  a  good  excuse 
for  not  paying  the  visit. 

Meanwhile  I  had  the  opportunity  of  consulting  with  M.  von 
Schwerin  and  M.  von  Klingrave,  ministers  of  the  king.  The 
latter  was  highly  thought  of  at  the  Imperial  Court.  Both 
were  of  opinion  that  I  could  not  insist  on  the  arm-chair;  still, 
they  thought  it  best  to  adhere  to  its  being  given  me,  or  they 
would  find  another  way  in  which  to  settle  the  ceremonial.  As 
the  king  was  nearly  related  to  the  House  of  Bavaria,  and  the 
Margrave  had  every  reason  to  treat  it  well,  there  were  sufficient 
reasons  to  excuse  my  conduct.  I  was  to  visit  the  empress  un- 
der the  name  of  Countess  of  Reuss,  which  already  denoted  my 
being  incognito.  Under  this  title  I  could  not  lay  claim  to  be 
treated  with  the  honors  due  to  the  Crown  Princess  of  Prussia 
and  Margravine  of  Baireuth. 

Had  I  had  time  I  would  have  written  to  the  king,  and  left 
it  to  him  to  decide.  But  even  had  I  sent  a  messenger,  the  an- 


444        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

swer  would  have  come  too  late,  and  I  was  therefore  obliged  to 
submit.  They  disputed  all  day  over  the  conditions  I  had  made. 
The  two  first  were  granted  me,  but  all  that  could  be  obtained 
with  respect  to  the  third  was  that  the  empress  would  use  quite 
a  small  arm-chair,  while  she  gave  me  a  chair. 

Next  day  I  saw  this  royal  personage.  I  own  that  had  I  been 
in  her  place  I  would  have  made  all  the  rules  of  etiquette  and 
ceremony  the  excuse  for  not  being  obliged  to  appear.  The 
empress  was  small  and  stout,  round  as  a  ball,  very  ugly,  and 
without  dignity  or  manner.  Her  mind  corresponded  to  her 
body.  She  was  terribly  bigoted,  and  spent  her  whole  day 
praying.  The  old  and  ugly  are  generally  the  Almighty's  por- 
tion. She  received  me  trembling  all  over,  and  was  so  upset 
that  she  could  not  say  a  word. 

After  some  silence  I  began  the  conversation  in  French.  She 
answered  me  in  her  Austrian  dialect  that  she  could  not  speak 
in  that  language,  and  begged  I  would  speak  in  German.  The 
conversation  did  not  last  long,  for  the  Austrian  and  Low  Saxon 
tongues  are  so  different  from  each  other  that  to  those  acquaint- 
ed with  only  one  the  other  is  unintelligible.  This  is  what  hap- 
pened to  us.  A  third  person  would  have  laughed  at  our  mis- 
understandings ;  for  we  caught  only  a  word  here  and  there,  and 
had  to  guess  the  rest.  The  poor  empress  was  such  a  slave  to 
etiquette  that  she  would  have  thought  it  high  treason  had  she 
spoken  to  me  in  a  foreign  language,  though  she  understood 
French  quite  well.  The  emperor  was  to  have  been  present  at 
the  interview,  but  he  had  been  taken  so  ill  that  fear  was  enter- 
tained for  his  life.  He  deserved  a  better  fate.  He  was  gentle, 
kind,  and  gracious,  and  had  the  gift  of  winning  people's  hearts. 
One  might  well  have  said  of  him  that  he  would  have  shone  in 
a  humbler  sphere,  while  more  brilliant  surroundings  threw  him 
into  the  shade.  His  ambition  was  greater  than  his  intellect, 
and  his  position  lay  beyond  his  powers.  He  had,  unfortunate- 
ly, no  one  about  him  to  supply  the  talents  that  were  wanting. 

After  remaining  at  Frankfort  a  few  days  longer,  which  were 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIREUTH.         445 

spent  in  fetes  and  gayeties,  I  at  last  returned  to  Baireuth  at  the 
end  of  February.  We  were  followed  there  shortly  afterwards 
by  M.  de  Montaulieu,  chamberlain  to  the  Duchess  of  Wiirtem- 
berg.  He  brought  the  Margrave  and  myself  letters  from  the 
king,  from  the  queen,  my  mother,  and  from  the  duchess,  con- 
taining an  offer  of  marriage  for  my  daughter  with  the  young 
Duke  of  Wiirtemberg.  As  this  union  was  a  very  advanta- 
geous one,  and  had  the  support  of  the  king  and  queen,  we  gave 
it  our  consent.  We  postponed  the  conclusion  of  the  condi- 
tions till  the  duchess's  return  from  Berlin. 

Our  return  home  induced  the  Imperial  Court  to  insist  on  the 
fulfilment  of  the  first  article  of  the  treaty.  After  M.  von 
Berghofen  had  sent  the  Margrave  this  wonderful  master-piece 
in  politics,  he  let  me  read  it.  Its  contents  were  as  follows: 

The  Margrave  bound  himself,  firstly,  to  raise  an  infantry 
regiment  of  eight  hundred  men  for  the  emperor;  secondly,  to 
assist  him  by  every  means  in  his  power  in  the  Franconian  cir- 
cles ;  thirdly,  to  try  and  induce  that  district,  if  circumstances 
allowed  of  it,  to  declare  itself  for  the  emperor.  In  return  for 
these  services  the  emperor,  firstly,  granted  the  Margrave  the 
command  of  the  regiment  and  the  appointment  of  the  officers, 
up  to  the  captains,  twenty-five  gulden  (florins)  for  every  man, 
their  uniforms  and  arms ;  secondly,  he  gave  him  over  the  jus 
appellandum;  thirdly,  the  emperor  gave  him  the  little  town 
of  Redwitz  and  its  district  (this  last  article  was  to  be  carried 
out  only  if  the  emperor  took  possession  of  Bohemia,  as  the 
town  is  in  that  territory) ;  fourthly,  the  emperor  promised  him 
his  support  in  the  Franconian  district,  in  order  that  the  Mar- 
grave might  be  appointed  marshal  and  comrnander-in-chief  of 
the  troops  of  that  district. 

The  Margrave  had  spent  his  time  at  Frankfort  amid  con- 
stant distractions.  The  gayeties,  the  late  nights,  and  the  great 
confidence  he  reposed  in  Berghofen  had  prevented  his  con- 
sidering seriously  the  results  which  the  treaty  would  involve. 
Now  that  he  read  it  over  a  second  time,  it  appeared  to  him  in 


446        MEMOIRS    OF   THE  MARGRAVINE    OF    BAIKEUTH. 

quite  a  different  light.  The  conditions  seemed  to  him  as  de- 
ceptive as  they  had  at  first  appeared  advantageous.  The  sum 
promised  with  which  to  raise  the  regiment  was  so  small  that 
the  loss  became  apparent.  The  jus  appellandum  is  an  advan- 
tage only  to  unjust  princes.  An  upright  sovereign  has  always 
that  right,  for  he  never  gives  his  subjects  cause  to  appeal  to 
the  imperial  courts  of  justice.  The  title  of  commander-in-chief 
is  an  empty  honor,  and  possesses  no  other  advantage  than  that 
of  commanding  the  troops  of  the  district  in  time  of  war.  The 
little  town  of  Redwitz  was  a  mere  nothing,  while  its  possession 
was  uncertain,  and  its  advantage  as  little  satisfactory  as  the 
rest  of  the  articles  mentioned.  This  and  many  other  reasons 
induced  the  Margrave  to  break  off  the  negotiations. 

I  received  many  unpleasant  letters  from  the  king,  my  brother, 
on  the  subject  of  this  treaty.  He  complained  with  much  bit- 
terness to  me  that  the  negotiations  had  been  begun  without 
his  knowledge.  I  suppressed  the  first  of  these  letters,  and  gave 
no  answer  on  this  point.  At  last  he  wrote  me  word  that  I  was 
to  speak  in  his  name  to  the\Margrave,  and  make  him  under- 
stand that  he  could  not  conclude  treaties  without  consulting 
the  head  of  the  family.  My  husband  dictated  his  answer  to 
me,  which  was  very  curt,  and  from  this  moment  war  was  de- 
clared. I  now  received  from  the  king  only  very  harsh  letters, 
and  was  even  told  that  he  spoke  most  unfavorably  of  me  and 
turned  me  publicly  into  ridicule.  This  behavior  hurt  me  very 
much,  but  I  hid  my  annoyance  and  treated  him  as  I  always 
had. 

The  Duchess  of  Wiirtemberg  arrived  about  this  time.  The 
agreement  as  to  the  marriage  of  our  children  had  been  settled 
at  Berlin.  It  had  been  decided  that  the  marriage  should  only 
take  place  when  both  parties,  having  attained  a  proper  age, 
were  agreeable  to  it.  This  projected  union  obliged  me,  much 
against  my  will,  to  become  more  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
duchess.  She  talked  pleasantly,  but  possessed  a  mind  which 
occupied  itself  only  with  trifles.  At  first  this  is  rather  amus- 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE   MAKGKAV1NE    OP   BAIKEUTH.         447 

ing,  but  after  a  time  it  became  very  wearisome.  She  was  in  a 
perpetual  state  of  merriment  and  high  spirits,  and  as  her  chief 
study  consisted  in  trying  to  attract  others,  all  her  endeavors 
had  no  other  end  in  view.  Jokes,  childish  behavior,  looks — in 
fact,  everything  that  deserves  the  name  of  coquetry  was  used 
for  that  purpose.  The  two  Mademoiselles  von  Marwitz  im- 
agined the  duchess's  behavior  was  copied  from  the  French,  and 
that  in  order  to  be  in  the  fashion  people  must  adopt  the  same. 
The  elder,  who  had  much  influence  with  the  Margrave,  induced 
him  to  alter  the  whole  Court.  In  a  fortnight  all  was  changed  ; 
there  was  nothing  but  romping,  throwing  napkins  at  one  an- 
other's heads,  running  about  like  wild  horses,  and  finally  sing- 
ing very  ambiguous  French  songs.  Far  removed  from  being 
like  French  ladies,  I  believe  if  any  French  person  had  visited 
us  at  this  moment  he  would  have  thought  he  was  in  the  com- 
pany of  opera  girls  and  actresses.  My  endeavors  to  put  a  stop 
to  this  disorder  were  in  vain.  My  governess  thundered  and 
inveighed  against  her  nieces,  but  instead  of  answering  her  they 
turned  their  backs  on  her.  How  happy  I  was  still  at  that  time  ! 
Oh  !  those  Marwitzes  deceived  me,  and  I  knew  nothing  of  their 
intrigues,  for  the  Margrave  showed  me  as  much  attention  as 
ever.  I  slept  quietly  while  my  destruction  was  being  worked 
out. 

The  duchess's  departure  made  me  hope  to  restore  things  to 
their  former  condition,  but  I  soon  observed  the  evil  had  taken 
root.  As  I  have  since  then  perceived,  Mademoiselle  von  Mar- 
witz had  at  that  moment  made  her  plan.  She  had  great  ambi- 
tion, and  in  order  to  satisfy  it  she  felt  she  must  entangle  the 
Margrave  in  a  net  of  amusements  and  gayeties — a  fault  to  which 
he  was  already  too  much  inclined.  She  hoped  by  that  means 
to  distract  his  mind  from  his  affairs,  to  which  he  gave  such 
earnest  attention.  She  knew  also  how  to  deceive  me  by  hav- 
ing me  informed  of  important  business  matters,  and  endeavored 
to  allay  my  suspicions  by  the  confidence  shown  me  by  the  Mar- 
grave. She  meanwhile  kept  the  appointments  of  some  people 


448        MEMOIRS    OF   THE    MARGRAVINE    OF   BAIREUTH. 

and  the  rewards  given  to  others  in  her  own  hands,  and  particu- 
larly the  finances.  The  rumors  that  had  been  circulated  at 
Berlin  about  her,  and  the  remarks  on  her  position  and  power 
over  the  Margrave,  had  led  her  to  make  many  reflections  on 
the  subject.  Her  desire  to  make  her  great  genius  felt  over- 
ruled every  other  consideration.  She  had  observed  his  weak- 
ness for  her,  and  made  use  of  it  to  rule  according  to  her  own 
will  and  pleasure.  She  thought  that  if  she  gained  my  confi- 
dence, and  avoided  every  occasion  of  rousing  my  suspicions,  she 
would  at  last  throw  such  a  glamour  over  me  that,  should  I  dis- 
cover her  intrigues,  I  should  be  powerless  to  defend  myself.  It 
was  true  her  behavior,  as  well  as  the  Margrave's,  were  calculated 
to  keep  me  in  complete  ignorance  of  their  secret  understanding. 
We  went  to  Stuttgart  at  the  end  of  July,  where  we  had  been 
invited  by  the  Duchess  of  Wiirtemberg.  I  will  not  describe 
this  Court.  I  thought  it  most  repugnant — full  of  ceremonies 
and  civilities. 

******* 

Here  the  memoirs  suddenly  break  off,  and  the  Margravine  has 
not  left  any  special  record  of  the  last  fifteen  years  of  her  life. 
On  the  other  hand,  there  remain  her  most  interesting  correspon- 
dence with  her  brother,  Frederick  the  Great,  and  her  letters  to 
Voltaire,  which  are  carried  on  to  the  time  of  her  death. — NOTE 
BY  TKANSLATOR. 


INDEX. 


A. 

Albertine,  Margravine,  298. 

Albertine,  Princess,  295,  298. 

Alexander,  Dona,  Count,  19. 

Algarotti,  428,  431. 

Allodial  Estates,  128,  203,  269. 

Altdorf,  meeting  of  sovereigns  at,  247. 

Altona,  Margrave  at,  395. 

Amelia,  Princess  of  England,  27. 

Aruelie,  Countess  (Finkeustein),  64,  75, 
99. 

Am61ie,  Princess  of  Prussia,  see  Prussia. 

Anhalt,  Prince  of,  19, 157, 426. 

Anhalt-Bernbnrg,  Prince  of,  295,  297. 

Anhalt-Schanmburg,  Princess  of,  296. 

Anna  Maria,  see  Prussia,  Princesses. 

Anspach,  Caroline  of,  see  England, 
Queen. 

Anspach,  Crown  Prince  at,  144. 

Anspach,  Margrave  of,  94,  99,  201,  210, 
255,  403,  404. 

Anspach,  Margravine,  see  Prussia,  Prin- 
cess Frederica  Louise. 

Auspach,  Prince  of,  292. 

An"nach,  visit  to,  264,  338. 

Arlington,  Lady,  48,  52. 

Augustus,  Ferdinand,  see  Prussia,  Prin- 
cess. 

Augustus,  William,  see  Prussia,  Princes. 

Austria,  Emperor  of,  see  Germany. 

Austria,  treaty  with  Prussia,  68. 

Austria,  treaty  with  Spain,  68. 

Austrian  Envoy,  see  Seckendort 

Austrian  peace  with  Frauce,  384,  393. 

B. 

Baireuth,  Court  of,  227;  clergy  of,  224; 
finances  of,  290 ;  town  of,  225. 

29 


Baireuth,  Margraves  of: 
Christian  Ernest,  202. 
George  Christian,  238. 
George  Frederick  Charles,  112, 153, 
303,  204,  227,  239,  253,  292,  336,  361, 
363,  366,  372,  374. 

Henry,  education  of,  187,  188 ;  be- 
trothal of,  190 ;  reception  of,  by  the 
Queen,  193 ;  appointment  of,  to  a 
colonelcy,  195 ;  at  Wusterhausen, 
198;  insults  to,  205;  marriage  of, 
811;  return  of,  to  Baireuth,  220; 
at  Berlin,  260;  difference  of,  with 
the  king,  2S1 ;  illness  of,  284 ;  or- 
dered to  Pasewalk,  287 ;  return  of, 
to  Baireuth,  322 ;  at  Anspach,  338 ; 
leaves  for  the  war,  357 ;  at  Erlan- 
gen,  385,  393  ;  at  Berlin,  429,  432. 
Baireuth,  Margravine  of,  see  Holstein, 

Prussia;  princesses,  nobility  of,  223. 
Baireuth,  Princesses  of: 

Charlotte,  227,  243,  259,  263,  264,  291, 

293,  345,  349,  350. 
Frederica,  263,  291,  323. 
Wilhelmine,  227,  231,  235,  236,  240, 

243,  263,  345. 
Bamberg  and  Wurzburg,  Bishop  of,  384, 

385,  388,  402. 

Bavaria,  Elector  of,  see  Germany. 
Bavaria,  invasion  of,  438,  441. 
Bavaria,  Princess  Clementine  of,  441. 
Bedenbruck,  General,  146. 
Beist,  M.  von,  415. 
Belisle,  Marshal,  442. 
Berghofeu,  von,  436,  438,  449. 
Berlin,  State  apartments  at,  209. 
Berlin,  visit  to,  271,  418,  429. 
Berneck,  353. 
Berwick,  Marshal  de,  363. 


450 


INDEX. 


Bevern,  Duchess  of,  183, 134,  204,  310, 313, 
314,  320,  370. 

Severn,  Duke  of,  122, 1S4,  202,  211-15, 285, 
326,  358,  370. 

Severn,  Prince  Charles  of,  122,  191,  202, 
212,  213,  215,  286,  292,  314,  370. 

Severn,  Princess  of,  see  Prussia. 

Bevern,  Princess  Charlotte  of,  see  Prus- 
sia, Princess  Charlotte. 

Bilinska,  Countess,  80. 

Bindemann,  von,  206,  248,  249 

Blankenburg,  Duke  of,  122. 

Blaspiel,  Mme.  von,  30, 31,  35, 36. 

Bodenbruck,  Mile,  von,  410. 

Bohemia,  invasion  of,  441. 

Bork,  von,  105,  111,  178. 

Borkhausen,  Count,  382. 

Bourguait,  M.  de,  92, 103. 

Brandenburg,  Elector  of  (Frederick  Will- 
iam), 21,  note;  Electorate  of,  80,  note; 
Electressea  of:  Sophie  Louise,  21,  note; 
Sophie  Dorothea,  21,  note,  72. 

Brandenburg -Culmbach,  Margrave  of 
(George  Wilhelm),  187,326. 

Brandenbnrg-Cultnbach,  Margravine  of, 
266,  326,  367,  368,  396. 

Brandenburg-Culmbach.Princess  of,  326. 

Brandenburg  House,  238. 

Bremer,  von,  97,  384. 

Broglio,  Count,  364. 

Brunow,  Mme.  von,  54. 

Brunswick,  Duchess  of,  307,  308,  314, 315, 
316. 

Brunswick-Bevern.  set  Bevern. 

Billow,  Mile,  von,  103, 116, 134, 138, 155. 

Burstell,  von,  221,  233,244. 

C. 

Carlsbad,  242. 

Carnival,  335,424. 

Caroline,  nee  Anspach. 

Caroline  von  Marwitz,  see  Marwitz. 

Carteret,  Lord,  58. 

Charles,  fee  Bevern,  Germany,  Sweden. 

Charlotte,  nee  Baireuth,  Prussia. 

Charlottenburg,  43,  308. 

Cnarlottenburg,  treaty  of,  68. 

Chesterfield,  Lord,  158, 190. 

Clement,  27,  28,  31. 

Cleve,  Duke  of,  69,  note. 

Cobentzel,  Count,  434. 

Coburg,  Duke  of,  346,  346. 


Coburg,  visit  to,  270. 

Cologne,  Elector  of,  440. 

Comartiu,  von,  442. 

Council  of  State,  375. 

Courland,  Duchess  of,  37. 

Courland,  Duke  of,  '202. 

Croom,  24,  25. 

Crown  Prince,  see  Prussia,  Frederick  III. 

Crowu  Princess,  see  Prussia. 

Culmbach,  Margravine  of,  see  Branden- 
burg-Culmbach. 

Culmbach,  Prince  of,  255,  2CO,  313,  356. 

Culmbach,  Prince  William  of,  259 ;  Dow- 
ager-Princess of,  259 ;  Princess  of,  243. 

D. 

Dabeneck,  M.  von,  225,  415. 
Danish  envoy,  see  Liivner. 
Darmstadt,  Landgrave  of,  406-408. 
Darmstadt,  Prince  of,  407, 40S. 
Denmark,  King  of,  17,  23,  395. 
Denmark,  Queen  of  (Princess  of  Bai- 

renth),  395. 

Derchow,  General,  146. 
Diefeubrock,  vou,  405. 
Donep,  Colonel,  199,  200. 
Donhoff,  Major-general,  161. 
Dostow,  General,  148. 
Dowry  of  Prince  Henry,  216,  218. 
Dresden,  Polish  Court  at,  73. 
Duhau,  154. 
Dumouliu,  General,  158. 

B. 

East  Friesland,  Prince  of,  345. 

East  Friesland,  Princess  of,  see  Baireuth, 
Wilhelmine. 

East  India  Company  at  Ostend,  68. 

Ebersteiu,  Princess  of,  see  Kcndal,  Duch- 
ess of. 

Egloffstein,  vou,  267. 

Eisenach,  Princess  of,  291 

Ellerot,  379,  394,  416, 41«. 

Emperor,  see  Germany. 

Empress,  see  Germany. 

EoiB,  visit  to,  404-406. 

England,  King  of,  George  I.,  62;  in  Prus- 
sia, 57;  in  Hanover,  60;  death  of,  72; 
George  II.,  207,  208. 
Queen  Caroline  of  Anspach,  62. 
Prince**  Amelia,  27,  277. 


INDEX. 


451 


English  envoy,  see  Bonrguait,  M.  dc. 

Eugene,  see  Savoy. 

Eversmann,  46, 103, 109, 166, 167, 1C9. 

F. 

Fackeltanz,  see  Polonaise. 
Finkenstein,  Count,  IB,  40,  88,  99, 104. 
Fiukensteiu,  Countess,  90,  92, 138,  {146. 
Fischer,  von,  228,  231,  28S. 
Flemming,  Count,  76, 80. 
"  Flora,  Aunt,"  see  Sonusfeld. 
Florence,  Archduke  of,  394. 
France,  324,  384. 
Fran  ke,  73. 

Frankfort,  visits  to,  408,  409,  438-444. 
Franenstadt,  282. 
Frederica,  see  Bairenth. 
Frederica,  Sophie  Wilhelmine,  see  Prus- 
sia. • 
Frederick  I.,  see  Prussia. 
Frederick  II.,  see  Prussia. 
Frederick  III.,  see  Prussia. 
Frederick  William,  we  Brandenburg. 
French  envoy,  see  Hoteuburg. 
Friedrichshall,  27. 

Q. 

Qallizin,  Princes*,  39. 

Gaustalla,  battle  of,  364. 

Gefres,  225. 

George  Frederick  Charles,  see  Baireuth. 

George  I.,  see  England. 

George  II.,  see  England. 

Gera,  222. 

Gerber,  151, 106. 

Germany: 

Emperor  Charles  IV.,  408. 

Emperor  Charles  VI.,  68,  242,  430. 

Charles  VII.  (Elector  of  Bavaria), 
435,  436,  444. 

Empress,  242,  279,  305. 

Empress,  444. 
Gleicheu,  M.  von,  229,  250. 
Glogan,  capture  of,  433. 
Gokel,  364. 
"Golden  Bull,"  409. 
Graveureuter,  Mrne.  von,  228. 
Grumkow,  19,  20,  61,  62,  87,  88,  99,  105, 
121,  135,  138,  139,  151,  156,  170, 178,  194, 
204,  208-210,  216,  217,  251. 
Grnmkow,  Mile,  von,  254,  271,  312,  399, 
415. 


H. 

Hnlberstadt,  395. 

Halle,  visit  to,  323. 

Hanover,  Elector  of,  see  England. 

Hanover,  Princesses  of,  see  Prussia, 
Queens. 

Hanover,  Queen  of  Prussia  in,  63. 

Hartenberg,  Mine,  von,  404. 

Hartmann,  416. 

Heideknmm,  31. 

Henry,  Prince,  see  Buirenth. 

Herfort,  Abbess  of,  see  Schwedt,  Margra- 
vine Philip. 

"  Hermitage,  The,"  242,  399-401. 

Hessberg,  von,  378. 

Hesse,  Prince  William  of,  199,  409:  Prin- 
cess of,  407. 

Hesse-Cassel,  Prince  George  of,  440. 

Hesse-Caflsel,  Princess  Maximilian  of, 
407. 

Himmelscron,  360,  361,  3C9. 

Hoditz,  Count,  367,  368. 

Hof,  222, 354. 

Hohenlohe-Weikersheim,  Prince  of,  242, 
243. 

Holstein,  Duke  of,  220;  Princess  of,  211. 

Holzeudorf,  29,  78,  81,  97. 

Hotham,  121, 123, 124, 128. 

Hutten,  Mile,  von,  415. 

J. 

Jablousky,  135. 

Jordan,  431. 

Jtich,Dr.,370. 

Julich  and  Berg,  see  Allodial  Estate* 

K. 

Kaiserling,  von,  98,  303. 

Kalstein,  Mnjor,  40,  93. 

Kamke,  von,  32. 

Kateck,  Fiscal-general,  35. 

Katt,  Field  -  marshal   von,  101,  119,  134, 

136,  137,  140,  141,  150,  151,  166,  161-163; 

letter  of,  164. 
Keith,  General,  381. 
Keith  (page),  83,  145, 156-153. 
Kendal,  Duchess  of,  392. 
Kielraansegge,  see  Arlington. 
Klingrave,  von,  443. 
Klosterzina,  220. 
Kniephauseii,  von,  103. 


452 


INDEX. 


Konigseck,  Connt,364. 
Konnken,  Mile,  von,  167. 
Koniiken,  Mme.  von,  40, 110, 152,  274. 
Knrff,  vou,  228. 
Kustrin,  163, 171,  208. 


Ln  Crape,  24. 

Lamotte,  M.  de,  89, 90,  93. 

Leipsic,  222. 

Leinan,31. 

L6ti,  41,  42,46-60. 

Letters,  casket  of,  141, 142, 148. 

Lienz,  engagement  at,  441. 

Linger,  Major-general,  161. 

Lixin,  Prince,  368. 

Lorraine,  Duchy  of,  384. 

Lovuer,  von,  126, 130. 

M. 

Makenhnu,  199. 

Mantenffel,  Count,  30. 

Maria  Theresa,  Queen  of  Hungary,  434. 

Marie  Ther6se,  Archduchess,  394. 

Marriage  treaty  of  Princess  of  Bnirenth, 

216. 
Marwitz,  Albertine   and  Caroline  you, 

383,  439, 447. 

Marwitz,  General,  314, 434, 436. 
Marwitz,  Mile,  von,  246,  271,  325,  330,  361, 

383,  431,  437,  447. 
Maupertins,  431. 
Meermanns,  the,  419-424. 
Meiningen,  see  Saxe-Meiuingen. 
Mistress  of  Robes,  see  Kouuken,  Mme. 

von. 

Molhvitz,  battle  of,  434. 
Monbijou,  37,  40. 
Mouplaisir,  248. 
Li onii  nnoii.  M.  de,  446. 
Morian,  Mine,  von,  432. 
Mosel,  General,  147. 
Muhlberg,  124. 
Munichbruck,406. 
Munichow,  von,  338-343, 428. 
Myliiio,  161, 166. 

N. 

Naples,  384. 

Nassmer,  Field-marshal  von,  36. 
Natzmer,  171. 
Nauen,  214. 


Neisse,  capture  of,  434. 
Neustidt,  Margrave  at.  296, 297. 
Neustadt,  Prince  of,  262,  263, 296. 
Nisaa,  capture  of,  402. 
Nuremberg,  Diet  of,  408,  408. 

O. 

Orange,  Prince  of,  16, 440. 
Orselska,  Countess,  76, 80. 

P. 

Pannewitz,  Mile,  von,  274. 

Pasewalk,  196. 

Peter  the  Great,  see  Russia. 

Philip,  Margravine  of  Schwedt,  219, 302. 

Puilippsburg,  siege  of,  358. 

Philippsrnhe,  409. 

"Pietisteu,"  the,  424. 

Podewils,  178,  204. 

Poland,  Crown  Prince  of,  79,  101 ;  king 
of,  17,  30,  73,  79, 81, 100, 117,  282. 

Poland,  parties  in,  324, 325. 

Polnitz  (lady-iu-waitiug),  61-63. 

Polnitz,  M.  von,  380,  381,  406, 438. 

Polonaise  at  royal  weddings,  206, 207. 

Pommersfeld,  384, 386. 

Poniatowsky,  Prince,  25. 

Pragmatic  Sanction,  884. 

Prussia,  Kings: 

Frederick  I.,  16, 16, 19. 
Frederick  II.,  marriage  of,  15;  char- 
acter of,  19,  32,  illness  of,  28,  29, 
361;  will  of,  28;  hypochondria  in, 
72;  at  Dresden,  73;  gout  in,  93, 
316,  letter  of,  to  Finkenstein,  104; 
at  Dresden,  117;  at  Baireuth,  250; 
fit  of,  297;  recovery  of,  369;  hab- 
its of,  251,  262;  dislike  of,  for  mu- 
sic, 293;  denth  of,  426. 
Frederick  William  (Frederick  the 
Great),  birth  of,  18;  disposition  of, 
27;  in  disgrace,  66;  forgiven,  67  ; 
at  Dresden,  74 ;  in  love,  77, 78 ;  fa- 
ther's violence  to,  102 ;  arrest  of, 
139;  at  Anspach,  144  ;  attempted 
escape  of,  148;  at  Kustrin,  156;  in- 
quiry on,  166;  court-martial  of,  1«1 ; 
imprisonment  of,  171 ;  works  M 
clerk, 208;  return  of,  to  Berlin,209; 
colonelcy  of,  210, 211 ;  engagement 
of,  234 ;  money  from  Austria,  261 ; 


INDEX. 


453 


marriage  of,  303 ;  march  through 
Baireuth,  353;  deterioration  of, 359; 
at  Buireuth,  365,  366 ;  letters  from, 
397,  411;  accession  of,  428;  com- 
plaints against,  430. 
Prussia,  Kingdom  of,  80,  note. 
Prussia,  Queens : 

Sophie  Charlotte,  of  Hanover  (  = 
Frederick  I.),  15. 

Princess  of  Hauover  ( =  Frederick 
II.),  marriage  of,  16;  in  Hauover, 
63 ;  jealousy  of,  64, 66 ;  portrait  of, 
87;  illuess  of,  118,121. 

Princess  of  Bevern  ( =  Frederick 
III.),  234, 276,  304,307. 

Princes:  Frederick,  see  Frederick 
William  ;  William,  25,  43  ;  Augus- 
tus William,  51;  Henry,  65;  Au- 
gustus Ferdinaud,  124. 

Princesses:  Frederica  Sophie  Wil- 
helmiue,  Margravine  of  Baireuth, 
birth  of,  17 ;  education  of,  23,  24, 
49-51 ;  memory  of,  54  ;  projected 
marriages  of,  21,  23,  83,  109,  114, 
115, 106,  1T3-183  ;  betrothal  of,  190 ; 
marriage  of,  205 ;  illness  of,  64,  96 ; 
at  Baireuth,  225 ;  at  Anspach,  267 ; 
at  Berlin,  272 ;  return  to  Baireuth, 
322;  at  Anspach,  338;  at  Erlan- 
gen,  385,  393 ;  at  Berlin,  429,  433. 

Frederica  Louise,  Margravine  of 
Auspach,  94,  99,  201,  202,  216,  292, 
324,  3S5,  387,  388,  391,  392. 

Charlotte,  Duchess  of  Bevern,  191i 
192,  198,  199,  202,  234,  276,  277,  286, 
301,  310,  316. 

Am61ie,  75,  76. 

Anna  Maria,  59. 

Sophie,  175,  274,  369. 

Ulrika,  274. 
Pultawa,  battle  of,  324. 

R. 

Rad/.iwill,  Princess,  323. 

Ramcn,  75,81,  90,  103,  109,  114,  119,  183, 

194,  312,  317. 
Recruiting,  Prussian,  in    Bairenth,  338! 

in  Hanover,  60. 
Red  Eat'le,  Order  of,  238. 
Reichenbach,  123. 
Reinbeck,  141. 
Reitzen stein,  M.  von,  257. 


"  Reuse,  Countess  of,"  442. 

Reuss,  Counts,  406. 

Rheinsberg,  visit  to,  431. 

Rhine,  campaigns  on  the,  358,  380. 

Rochow,  Colonel,  98, 127, 146. 

Rocoule,  Mine,  von,  23, 168. 

"  Roraer,"  the,  408. 

Rosenau,«ee  Clement. 

Rotenburg,  Count  von,  70. 

Rotbenhahn,  Baron  von,  387. 

Rovedel,  171. 

Ruppin,  Crown  Prince  at,  277, 284. 

Kup pin,  Prince  Henry  at,  289. 

Russia,  Emperor  and  Empress,  37-40. 

S. 

Sardinia,  King  of,  384. 
Sastot,  von,  89, 195,  208,  302. 
Savoy,  Prince  Eugeue  of,  358. 
Saxe-Qotha,  Princess  of,  394. 
Saxe-Meiniugen,  Duchess  of,  202. 
Saxon  army,  23. 
Saxon  envoy,  see  Flemming,  Manteuffel, 

Suhm. 

Saxony,  Elector  of,  324. 
Schlippenbach,  von,  313. 
Schonburg,  383. 

Schwedt,  Margrave  of,  22, 23,  111. 
Schwedt,  Margravine  Philip  of,  112, 113, 

130,  219,  302. 

Schwedt,  Prince  Henry  of,  359, 360,  369. 
Schwerin,  Marshal  von,  443. 
Seckendorf,  Baron  von,  248,   271,  403, 

404. 
Seckendorf,  Count  von,  68,  71,  122,  128, 

251, 278,  402. 
Sicily,  384. 
Silesia,  431,  433. 
Sounsfeld,  Flora  von,  268,  330-335,  340, 

355,  356,  361,  362,  371. 
Sounsfeld,  Mile,  von,  60,  51. 109, 110,  155, 

167, 168,  205,  219,  239,  270,  333,  386. 
Sophie,  see  Prussia,  Princesses ;  Sophie 

Charlotte,  see  Prussia,  Queen. 
Spain,  treaty  of,  with  Austria,  68. 
Span,  Lieutenant,  151. 
Stahl,  Dr.,  252. 
Stanislaus,  324. 
Stein,  Baron  von,  228. 
Stein,  Bnroness  von,  229. 
Stflcker,  von,  307. 
Stralsund,  siege  of,  23. 


454 


INDEX. 


Stuttgart,  visit  to,  448. 

Suhm,  M.  de,  74. 

Sulzbach,  Prince  of,  436. 

Sulzbacb,  Princesses  of,  436,  441 . 

Supperville,  412-415. 

Sweden,  16, 23,  26. 

Sweden,  King  Charles  XII.,  325. 

T. 

"  Tnbagie,"  the,  24. 

Taxis,  Princess  of,  263,  288,  291. 

Tertow,  Mile,  von,  431. 

Theodore,  Prince,  441. 

Thnlemeier,  173, 184,  204. 

Townsend,  Lord,  58. 

Trosqui,  34 

Turkey,  war  with  Anstria,  402. 

Turkey,  war  with  Russia,  394. 

Tuscany,  Grand  Duchy  of,  384. 

U. 

Ulrica,  Princess  of  Sweden,  15. 
Ulrika,  Princess  of  Prussia,  see  Prussia. 

V. 

Vielseck,  381. 

Vienna,  treaty  of,  6S. 

Viereck,  99. 

Vittingshofen,  von,  229. 

Vobser,  326. 

Voit,  M.  von,  188,  204,  206,  215,  216. 

Voltaire,  434. 


W. 

Wackholz,  von,  323. 

Waguiss,  Mrae.  von,  25,  26. 

Waldow,  146-148. 

Wales,  Frederick,  Prince  of,  George, 
Prince  of,  see  England,  George  II. 

Wales,  Princess  of,  394. 

Wallen,  171. 

Wallenrodt,  64. 

War  with  Turkey,  325,  394. 

Weikersheim,  see  Hohenlohe. 

Weimar,  Duke  of,  345,  346, 360. 

Weissenfels,  Prince  Johaun  Adolf  of,  79, 
82-84,101,111,264. 

Wesel,  138. 

Westerhageu,  von,  383,  398. 

"  White  Lady,"  The,  327. 

William,  see  Prussia,  Princes. 

William,  Prince  of  Culmbach,  see  Culm- 
bach. 

Wolmirstatten,  Abbess  of,  see  Sonnsfeld, 
Mine.  von. 

Wurtemberg,  Duchess  of,  436,  438,  447. 

Wurtemberg,  Duke  of,  185,  235. 

Wiirtemberg,  Prince  of,  436 ;  Prince 
Louis,  364. 

Wurzburg,  409 ;  Abbess  of,  385,  409,  410. 

Wnsterhausen,  43,  84, 100,  197,  200. 

Z. 

Zachiui,  403. 

Zeitz,  Dr.,  370,  380. 

Zelle,  Priuce  Ueury  at,  396. 


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